PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

National Audit Office

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission how much the National Audit Office spent on auditing government expenditure in Africa in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Williams: The information requested by my hon. Friend is not available. A number of Departments and other bodies spend government money in Africa. The National Audit Office record the cost of auditing the accounts of those bodies, and of the value for money studies they undertake, but no information is held on the cost of auditing the bodies' activities in specific regions of the world. However, during the year to July 2006, as part of their audit of the main Departments involved in Africa, NAO staff visited Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda to audit various UK government activities in those countries.

National Audit Office

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what assessment the Commission has made of the effectiveness of the National Audit Office compared with similar bodies in the EU.

Alan Williams: The Commission examines National Audit Office corporate plans, resource estimates and results on a regular basis. The Commission's scrutiny programme includes examination of independent value for money reviews of the National Audit Office carried out by the office's external auditors.
	The external auditors have carried out some international comparisons as part of this work. The most recent comparisons were included in their report in 2004 on the effectiveness of the National Audit Office's work in the context of achievements against the office's target of securing for the taxpayer £8 savings for every £1 spent. The auditors concluded that the National Audit Office was more rigorous than any other similar organisation worldwide in the way in which it measured, recorded and reported the financial impact of its work.
	The Commission continues to monitor the effectiveness of the office's work on behalf of the House. Last week it carried out a further examination of the financial impacts achieved by the office and of its plans to increase the target to £9:1. I believe that the Comptroller and Auditor General and the National Audit Office provide an excellent service and excellent value for money for the House.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Business of the House

Andrew Turner: To ask the Leader of the House which matters are required by convention or Government commitment to be debated each year; and what form of debate is required in each case.

Jack Straw: The Standing Orders of the House require three days to be set aside for debates on estimates selected by the Liaison Committee and 20 days to be set aside for debates on matters selected by Opposition parties.
	In addition to these commitments, there are a number of debates for which it is the practice to find time on the Floor of the House. These currently include two days ahead of European Council meetings, five days on different aspects of Defence, one day on Public Accounts Committee reports, one day on Welsh Affairs and one day on the annual report of the Intelligence and Security Committee.
	The wider issue of the use of non-legislative Government time may be considered by the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons in due course.

House of Lords Reform

John Spellar: To ask the Leader of the House whether the timetable for Lords reform set out in his speech of 24 October represents Government policy.

Jack Straw: As I made clear in my speech, having been asked by the Prime Minister to take responsibility for this important policy, the timings I mentioned were those I hoped to see achieved. But whether these hopes are met depends on many factors.

State Opening

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House if he will place in the Library copies of the press briefing pack produced by his Office on the state opening of Parliament on forthcoming legislation; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons does not produce a press briefing pack on the state opening of Parliament. The Downing street Press Office and individual Government Departments do issue press notices on the Queen's Speech. Copies will be placed in the Library. Further informationon the Bills contained within it is available on theOffice of the Leader of the House website at www.commonsleader.co.uk, following the state opening of Parliament.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Green Cards

Andrew Turner: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many green cards were completed on 1 November.

Nick Harvey: Doorkeepers' records show 252 green cards were completed on 1 November.

Pedestrian Access

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if the Commission will take steps to ensure that pedestrian access to the Palace of Westminster is not periodically impeded by inadequate rainwater drainage on St. Margaret's Street; what recent discussions he has had with Westminster City Council on this issue; what response was received; what representations he has received since July from  (a) hon. Members,  (b) Members of the House of Lords and  (c) members of the public; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Westminster city council has been contacted about drainage issues on St. Margaret's Street. The matter was referred via their highways defect reporting system and directly by letter. We await a response from Westminster City Council.
	The Parliamentary Authorities are aware of the following representations on this issue:
	 (a) None from Members;
	 (b) One from Lord Monson;
	 (c) One from a member of the House staff.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Tourism

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government that she rule out a bed tax as an option for local government finance.

Richard Caborn: The Government will not take any decisions on changes to local government finance until it has had the chance to consider the independent Lyons report which will be delivered to ministers in December 2006. DCMS Ministers will continue to represent tourism industry interests in this as in other cross-Government policy areas.

Tourism

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the implications for tourism of a bed tax; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Lyons Inquiry is an independent review, and it has not yet made any recommendations. DCMS Ministers will fully assess the potential impact of Sir Michael's recommendations once he has made them, and will respond accordingly.

Tourism

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of rural tourism offices which have closed in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: There are around 500 Tourist Information Centres in England. Most of them are managed by local authorities as part of their discretionary support for tourism. We know of four in rural areas that have been closed and not replaced by any other provision in the last 12 months, and two new ones that have opened.

VisitBritain

Christopher Fraser: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations her Department has had on VisitBritain's budget; and if she will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: Since 1997 funding for VisitBritain has risen from £44.7 million to £50.5 million for the current financial year. Detailed discussions are taking place to determine future budgets in the context of the CSR.

Royal Parks

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that encouraging greater use of the Royal Parks and holding more commercial events does not damage the fabric and character of the Parks.

David Lammy: The number and type of events is limited according to criteria set out in the agency's Events Strategy, agreed with Ministers and their potential impact on the environment, on visitors and on local residents is carefully assessed before permission is granted.
	Event organisers are required to take out a bond to fund any reinstatement necessary after an event.

Digital Switchover

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provisions have been made prior to digital switchover to ensure digital television coverage in  (a) the Calder Valley and  (b) other topographically challenging areas.

Shaun Woodward: Ofcom estimated approximately 50 per cent. of households in the Calder Valley are currently able to receive DT services. Following switchover in the region DT capacity is intended to match current provision from analogue services.

Digital Switchover

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what powers are available to her to regulate the production of regional news programmes by ITV after the switchover to digital television.

Shaun Woodward: Regulation of regional news resides with OFCOM. This framework will remain in place after switchover.

Television Licensing

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when concessionary schemes for television licences are next expected to be reviewed.

Shaun Woodward: The Government reviewed the concessionary arrangements as part of BBC Charter Review. The White Paper published in March this year proposed no changes to the existing range of concessions, because despite calls for concessions for many groups there was little consensus as to the criteria according to which they should be allocated. We have no plans for any further reviews of the concessions.

Decibel Penguin Prize

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the future of the Decibel Penguin Prize.

David Lammy: The decibel Penguin Anthology aims to showcase the work of emerging writers from black and minority ethnic communities and it received £8,000 from Arts Council England. Penguin is printing 3,000 copies, which will be distributed to book shops across the country. I understand that Penguin and Arts Council England are considering plans for two further volumes.

Olympic Games

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport by what means budgetary control is being maintained on the 2012 Olympic project.

Tessa Jowell: I regret that it has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Dissolution.

Olympic Games

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangement will be made for the funding of potential cost over-runs related to the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: Each annual budget will contain a contingency allowance from which cost over-runs will be met. As I said in the House on 6 November, in the event of further funds being needed to support the Olympic games, there is a formula in the M.O.U. to enable sharing between London and the lottery.

Tote

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her plans for the future of the Tote.

Richard Caborn: My Department has been discussing over the summer a sale to a racing consortium at full market value, but has unfortunately been unable to reach an agreement. We will announce shortly how we intend to meet the intentions of the manifesto, which were to achieve value for money for the taxpayer and to recognise racing's interest in the Tote.

Abolition of Slavery Bicentenary

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress has been made in planning events for 2007 to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire; and how much the Government has allocated to supporting such events.

David Lammy: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, South (Ms Butler) on 14 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1222W. Since then English Heritage has announced its programme for 2007, which will include: researching for the first time connections between the transatlantic slave trade and properties in its care; and reviewing formal description of listed buildings to acknowledge historic links to transatlantic slavery and the abolitionist movement. In Scotland, the Scottish Executive are leading on plans for the bicentenary and they plan to devote a section of the One Scotland website to publicising bicentenary events.
	To date, the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded funding of over £20 million to 48 slavery-related projects. It's new web-feature—http://www.hlf.org.uk/hlf/themes/index.html—provides advice on funding for community groups. Organisations which have recently received funding from HLF for 2007-related projects are:
	Adeoti Arts and Crafts
	Archbishop's Council
	Black British Heritage Ltd
	Bread Youth Project
	British Empire and Commonwealth Museum (BECM)
	Childrens and Parents Alliance
	Connections Northamptonshire and Northamptonshire CC Youth Involvement Team
	Development Education in Dorset
	Leeds West Indian Centre
	Mary Seacole Trust
	ODAC UK
	SCAWADI Sparbrook Caribbean and African Women's Development Initiative
	Splendid Things
	The Equiano Society
	Theatre Royal, Plymouth
	Tyne and Wear Museums

Charities

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Charity Commission on the eligibility of sporting organisations for charitable status.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Charity Commission regarding the eligibility of sporting organisations for charitable status.

Gambling Act

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the  (a) number and  (b) proportion of problem gamblers who gamble largely online; and what assessment she has made of the effect of the implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 on those figures.

Richard Caborn: None. The remote gambling market was too small to be statistically significant when the first UK gambling prevalence study was conducted in 1999.
	The Gambling Commission is currently conducting a new prevalence study and will report in September 2007.
	Recent research by RSe Consulting, commissioned by my Department, has found that approximately 900,000 people in the UK regularly gamble by remote means. My Department's own Taking Part survey suggests that nearly 5 per cent. of the population (in England) gambled online last year.

Sport England

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether she has plans to reform Sport England.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 2 November 2006
	Sport England has undergone a sustained and substantial programme of reform which means it now has a clear focus on:
	(i) boosting participation in sport; and
	(ii) significantly improving the range and quality of facilities.
	The performance of Sport England will be judged against success in these two areas.

Theatre

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on support for  (a) national,  (b) regional and  (c) local theatre in each of the last five years; and how much she estimates will be spent in each category in each of the next five years.

David Lammy: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not fund the arts directly, but through Arts Council England, which is responsible for supporting the arts with public money from Government.
	The following figures provide a breakdown of Arts Council England grant in aid for regularly funded theatre.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Arts Council England region  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 East 2,153 2,844 2,968 3,147 3,254 3,344 
			 East Midlands 3,280 4,295 4,522 4,734 4,825 5,085 
			 London 11,685 14,176 14,941 39,770 41,558 43,032 
			 National(1) 34,095 36,668 39,235 1,045 1,086 1,117 
			 North East 2,092 2,700 2,867 3,148 3,273 3,362 
			 North West 5,619 7,159 7,377 8,159 8,455 8,805 
			 South East 2,722 4,026 4,602 4,572 4,391 2,210 
			 South West 2,680 4,432 4,557 5,200 5,252 5,396 
			 West Midlands 3,101 4,103 4,307 18,373 18,878 19,397 
			 Yorkshire 4,237 5,093 5,312 6,784 7,012 7,215 
			 Total 71,664 85,496 90,688 94,932 97,984 98,963 
			 (1) National expenditure transferred to regional offices in 2005-06. 
		
	
	Within this funding Arts Council England classifies two theatre organisations as national companies.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Royal National Theatre  Royal Shakespeare Company 
			 2002-03 14,297 12,770 
			 2003-04 14,810 13,270 
			 2004-05 16,360 13,604 
			 2005-06 17,261 14,000 
			 2006-07 17,735 14,385 
			 2007-08 18,223 14,780 
		
	
	Arts Council England does not categorise the remaining theatre organisations as "regional" or "local", but as "producing" and "presenting".
	Support for organisations receiving regular funding from Arts Council England is set up to 2007-08. Future funding is contingent on the outcome of the current Government Comprehensive Spending Review.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Clergy Pensions

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will make a statement on the adequacy of the pension funds available to the clergy.

Stuart Bell: The pension benefits currently available to Church of England clergy reflect steps taken in the 1980s to improve the package. The scheme provides a full service pension of two thirds of the national minimum stipend plus a lump sum of three times the pension. This year, that means a pension of £12,040 and a lump sum of £36,120.

TRANSPORT

Accessible Transport

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans to require car hiring firms to provide  (a) wheelchair accessible vehicles and  (b) vehicles that can transport electric wheelchairs.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 2 November 2006
	There are no plans to require car hire firms to provide wheelchair accessible vehicles to carry a passenger who remains seated in their wheelchair. However, the effect of the Disability Discrimination (Transport Vehicles) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/3190), which come into force on 4 December 2006, is to apply the duties in section 21(2) of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (duty of providers of services to make adjustments) to vehicle rental firms in respect of vehicles comprising of eight passenger seats or less.
	This means that, from 4 December, firms who hire out such vehicles will be under a duty to take such steps as are reasonable to alter the physical features of those vehicles so as to provide facilities for the stowage of a wheelchair. It will be for vehicle rental firms to determine, within the reasonableness test, how and the extent to which this requirement should be met.
	A statutory code of practice has been produced by the Disability Rights Commission to assist car hire firms and others to understand and implement the new duties.

Buses

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to safeguard bus services in areas of low car ownership.

Gillian Merron: Local authorities already provide support for many bus services in areas of low car ownership. It is for individual local authorities to decide which services to support in their area. They should take account of accessibility planning when deciding their criteria for subsidised service support. The Department's Guidance on Accessibility Planning specifically refers to the needs of those without access to a car as one of the factors to be taken into account.
	Total local and central Government support for bus services is estimated to have been £1.8 billion in 2005-06, much of which will have been spent on safeguarding services.
	We are currently taking a long, hard look at a whole range of bus issues to assess whether changes are necessary to improve delivery of our objectives, including those on accessibility and social inclusion.

Buses

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the future of the rural bus challenge.

Gillian Merron: The rural bus challenge was first introduced in 1998; five further annual competitions were held, the last being in 2003. A total of £110 million for 301 schemes was awarded to local authorities over that period.
	There are currently no plans for further competitions under this scheme, which was aimed at developing and demonstrating the potential for innovative approaches to meeting rural transport needs. It was never intended to provide permanent revenue support for the projects supported. Information from local authorities shows that the scheme has encouraged the development of a large number of successful projects, many of which are now being continued with mainstream funding from local authorities, including funding from the Department's rural bus subsidy grant, or other sources.

Departmental Redundancies

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many redundancies there were in his Department in each year since 1997; what the cost of such redundancies was in each such year; how many temporary staff were employed in each such year; and how many staff were seconded by outside organisations to the Department in each such year.

Gillian Merron: The Department for Transport was created in May 2002.
	There have not been any compulsory redundancies during that period. However there have been a small number of voluntary early redundancy/severance schemes.
	Temporary staff are essentially used for short-term periods, usually to cover annual leave, sickness, or while managers are seeking a permanent replacement for a post.
	The number of employed in the central Department for Transport, and its agencies since 2002 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 1,022 
			 2005 1,468 
			 2004 1,087 
			 2003 1,210 
			 2002 1,027 
		
	
	The numbers of inward secondments since 2002 are:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2006 36 
			 2005 49 
			 2004 47 
			 2003 15 
			 2002 9 
		
	
	The Department is committed to trying to avoid compulsory redundancies and to use recruitment controls and voluntary means to achieve any essential reductions in staff numbers.
	Through inward secondments, the Department believes that it benefits from the experience of a secondee (through specialist skills not available within the Department) by gaining a fresh perspective on the operation of its business, and establishing links with individuals who can be a useful source of advice to the Department in the future. It also benefits the secondee by providing them with an insight into the operation of government.

DVLA

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on progress in delivering the new rules governing the release of vehicle keeper information by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority from the UK vehicle registers.

Stephen Ladyman: A statement on the progress of introducing the 14 new measures which I announced on 24 July will be made shortly.

Free Bus Passes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passes providing free bus travel for pensioners have been issued by each local authority in Hampshire including Southampton and Portsmouth since the scheme's inception.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally, it can be obtained from the relevant local authorities.

Hand Luggage

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether  (a) hair gel,  (b) toothpastes,  (c) lip balm,  (d) water,  (e) liquid cosmetics,  (f) other liquids,  (g) nail clippers,  (h) lighters,  (i) corkscrews and  (j) other sharp items are permitted to be carried within the hand luggage of passengers on flights departing foreign airports for destinations within the UK.

Gillian Merron: holding answer 19 October 2006
	International civil aviation security is framed by the principle of "host state responsibility", whereby each state is responsible for the security of flights from its territory. It is for the relevant authority in each state to determine what items are prohibited at its airports from being carried in passengers' hand baggage. The International Civil Aviation Organisation offers advice to contracting states in this regard, and the UK and other states are working with ICAO to update that advice. Within the European Union there is a common list of prohibited items which applies at EU airports. This list, available at http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/04/59&format=HTML&aged=0%3Cuage=EN&guiLanguage=en is presently being amended in light of the recent aviation security alert in the UK. It includes pointed or bladed articles capable of causing injury. ICAO's common list of prohibited items also includes pointed or bladed articles capable of causing injury.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which information technology projects are being undertaken by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies; what the (i) start date, (ii) original planned completion date, (iii) expected completion date, (iv) originally planned costs and (v) estimated costs are of each; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The requested information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The following details relate to the DfT's key IT projects that are monitored centrally.
	
		
			  Dept/ agency  Project name  Start date  Original planned completion date  Expected completion date  Originally planned costs  Estimated costs  Note ref. 
			 DfT Shared Services Programme April 2005 April 2009 April 2009 31 45 1 
			 VOSA Roadside Digital Tachograph January 2001 March 2005 March 2007 9.19 8.95 — 
			 VOSA Commercial Customer Portal January 2004 December 2011 December 2011 9.5 21.72 2 
			 VOSA Operator Annual Test: E-Test Bookings January 2004 December 2011 December 2011 8.4 11.97 3 
			 VOSA Mobile Compliance: providing mobile compliance devices to Enforcement Officers March 2003 December 2004 March 2007 7.91 10.39 4, 5 
			 DVLA Driver Licensing: Drivers Re-engineering Project (DRP) phase 2 August 2003 September 2008 End 2008 1 09 102.9 6, 7 
			 DVLA Smart tachograph project July 2000 May 2002 February 2007 13.2 14.72 — 
			 DVLA Vehicles System Software (VSS) Replatforming January 2005 July 2006 June 2007 8.37 8.42 — 
			 DVLA Tracking Vehicles Through The Trade (TV3T) August 2005 June 2008 October 2008 18.64 18.64 — 
			 DVLA Driver Licence Upgrade (DLUP) July 2004 June 2007 March 2008 21.8 17.04 — 
			 DSA Integrated Register of Driver Trainers (IRDT) October 2003 January 2006 February 2007 1.5 3.5 — 
			 HA Traffic Control Centre: PPP service; providing co-ordinated real time information on traffic conditions across most strategic road network August 2001 August 2011 August 2011 (1)160 (1)160 — 
			 HA Electronic Service Delivery of Abnormal Loads (ESDAL) April 2004 August 2006(2) August 2006(2) (2)8.6 (2)8.97 — 
			   April 2004 July 2008(3) July 2009(3) (3)1.21 (3)1.21 — 
			 (1) Over 10 years. (2) Development. (3) Operation.  Notes explaining any variance in planned vs. expected data or divergence from information contained in PQ 2324 03/04: 1. The Shared Services programme is currently being replanned, so the estimated costs provided are likely to change in the near future. 2. The scope of the portal project has increased since original approval to include new elements such as the adoption of sophisticated data integration and management applications. 3. The scope of E-test bookings has increased since original approval to include a multi-channel solution. 4. The difference in completion date is due to an increase in project scope to include fixed penalties. 5. Original planned costs for Mobile Compliance did not include staff costs however, estimated costs to complete include staff costs from April 2005. 6. The previous PQ (2324 03/04) only relates to phase 1. The cost of £37 million with a delivery date of December 2005 was achieved within approved funding. These details have been updated to include phase 2. 7. The estimated completion date is currently subject to change pending a current re-scoping exercise.

Low Bridges

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents involving buses striking low bridges occurred in the last three years for which figures are available.

Gillian Merron: The number of personal injury road accidents involving buses striking bridges that occurred in the last three years is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of personal injury road accidents involving a bus( 1)  striking a bridge( 2) : GB 2003-05 
			  Accidents 
			   Fatal  Serious  Slight  All 
			 2003 0 3 8 11 
			 2004 0 2 11 13 
			 2005 1 2 10 13 
			 (1) Buses and coaches equipped to carry 17 or more passengers, regardless of use. (2) Includes accidents where the side or roof of the bus struck the bridge.

Ministerial Travel

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many journeys he has undertaken by  (a) car,  (b) train and  (c) aeroplane in the last month.

Gillian Merron: All travel is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the ministerial code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
	The Secretary of State for Transport made six journeys by air and eight journeys by rail in his official capacity between 18 September 2006 and 18 October 2006.
	The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA) is responsible for providing ministerial transport by car. GCDA does not keep a record of individual journeys nor details of passengers carried.

Ministerial Travel

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by ministerial travel in his Department.

Gillian Merron: All central Government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases Certified Emissions Reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.
	Carbon dioxide emissions arising from 32 (Royal) Squadron flights are included in the Government's carbon offsetting commitment. Carbon emissions arising from the use of these flights will be recorded and offset in the same way as the use of scheduled flights.

MOT

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether provision is made for the compensation of providers of motor vehicle maintenance services for  (a) loss of earnings and  (b) additional costs in circumstances of technical difficulties with the MOT IT system.

Stephen Ladyman: In the event of disruption to the MOT computerisation service, there are currently two business continuity procedures which are available to garages to ensure that they can continue to test vehicles. One militates against a failure of the local garage computer equipment whilst the other militates against a large scale database or telephone outage. There should therefore be very few circumstances under which garages incur either  (a) loss of earnings or  (b) additional costs as a result of technical difficulties with the MOT computerisation system. The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) would, however, consider claims for compensation where a garage could demonstrate that it had suffered financially as a result of these business continuity procedures being unavailable.

Northern Ireland Airports

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2006 to question 98374, on the security screening at Northern Ireland airports, whether members of the judiciary are included in the category of certain passengers.

Gillian Merron: The Chief Justice (or occupant of the highest judicial office in each country) is included in the category of passengers that are exempt from screening at UK airports. However, other members of the judiciary are not included.

Railways

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to make a statement on  (a) funding for and  (b) the operational start of a re-developed Birmingham New Street Station.

Tom Harris: Proposals (entitled the "Gateway" scheme) have been put forward by Birmingham city council and Network Rail for the substantial re-development of New Street Station. The business case for this scheme is currently being examined in depth by the Department, as a considerable sum of public funding is required for the purpose. I would anticipate being able to make an announcement during 2007.

Railways

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many regional railway tsars have been appointed since 2004; how many are in post; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Government have no plans to appoint regional railway tsars.

Railways

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has held with train leasing companies Angel Trains and Porterbrook; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Harris: The Secretary of State for Transport has had no direct discussions with Angel Trains and Porterbrook recently. However, departmental officials have regular bi-laterals with the managing directors of both these companies and there is also engagement on a regular basis at a working level.

Railways

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has ordered an inquiry into competition in train leasing.

Tom Harris: On 28 June 2006 the Department for Transport initiated steps for a market investigation by asking the Office of Rail Regulation to refer the passenger rolling stock leasing market to the Competition Commission under Section 131 of the Enterprise Act 2002. The timetable set out by the Office of Rail Regulation is to publish their conclusions by the end of November 2006.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the  (a) total premiums to be paid by train operating companies (TOCs) in each of the next 10 years and  (b) total requirement for subsidy to those TOCs which do not pay a premium.

Tom Harris: Payments to and premiums received from individual train operators in any given year (TOCs) are set out in table 4.2c of National Rail Trends, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Contracted subsidies and premiums to and from individual TOCs are published on the Department's website when the relevant franchise is let. Actual payments and premiums in future years will depend on a number of factors including the operational performance of Network Rail and the TOC in question and the precise terms of the relevant franchise agreement. Where no franchise agreement is in place for the future years, premiums or subsidies will depend on the outcome of negotiations in the franchise specification and replacement process.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether revenue generated by the premiums paid by the franchised rail companies is included in his Department's future spending plans;
	(2)  whether revenue generated by Rail Franchise premiums is hypothecated for use by his Department  (a) for any use and  (b) on rail projects.

Tom Harris: Forecast premiums from passenger franchises are included in the Department's future spending plans. All premiums paid by franchises are appropriated in aid by the Department and the funds are made available for spending on transport.

Railways

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the level of subsidy to be given to the rail industry during the next control period.

Tom Harris: The Secretary of State will publish a high-level output specification (HLOS) in summer 2007. The HLOS will set out the Government's spending and output priorities for the rail industry for the next control period and will inform the Office of Rail Regulation's next review of access charges. The HLOS will include advice on the funds that the Secretary of State has available for spending on rail.

Roads

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to question 98546, how many people were  (a) killed and  (b) injured by drivers who were using hand-held mobile phones in each year before 2005 for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: 2005 is the earliest year for which this information is available.

Roads

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the net change in UK carbon dioxide emissions resulting from the road schemes approved through the targeted programme of improvements and local transport plans since 1998;
	(2)  what the estimated effect on annual carbon dioxide emissions is resulting from each road scheme approved by Ministers through the local transport plans since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The CO2 impacts of road schemes approved through the Targeted Programme of Improvements (TPI) and Local Transport Plans (LTPs) form part of the Department's normal approval processes for major transport schemes.
	The Department's National Transport Model (NTM) has been used to estimate the CO2 impact of road improvements at a national level.
	The road build included in our national modelling is the Highways Agency's (HA) illustrative forward programme of schemes. This includes those schemes since 2000 in the TPI, plus an estimate of schemes that may make their way into the TPI going forward.
	The modelling carried out for the Future of Transport White Paper included this HA illustrative programme, with it adding around 0.15 million tonnes of carbon in 2010, in England. The carbon added from just the current TPI would, therefore, be somewhat less than this, although that from local transport plans might increase it.
	The TPI schemes were also appraised at an individual level. CO2 emission estimates for the HA's motorway and trunk road schemes, in the TPI (which was first launched in 1998) are given where data is currently available. A copy of the table showing this information has been placed in the House of Commons Library. Schemes that have not yet entered into the TPI do not have this information as the proposals are still at an early stage.
	The overall implications for CO2 emissions of LTPs, including roads, should be considered as part of their individual Strategic Environmental Assessments.

Roads

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the latest cost estimates are for road schemes  (a) in the targeted programme of improvements and  (b) approved under (i) the local transport plans and (ii) community infrastructure fund.

Stephen Ladyman: For  (a) Highways Agency schemes in the Targeted Programme of Improvements, I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 746W, to the hon. Member for Brent, South (Ms Butler).
	I have placed information on  (b), the latest cost estimates for road schemes approved under (i) the local transport plans and (ii) community infrastructure fund, in the Library of the House.

Roads

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent on building new roads in each year since 1979.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. member to the written answers given on 17 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 1137-38W, and 26 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 2000-01W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane).
	Those provided data on government and private funding for transport infrastructure in Great Britain. The expenditure for roads within the tables includes new construction, as well as patching works. The available expenditure data do not, however, identify new road construction as a separate category.

Seat Belts

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what  (a) primary legislation and  (b) statutory instruments regulate the wearing of (i) front and (ii) rear seat belts; what changes have been made to each since their enactment; what further amendments are planned; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Sections 14 and 15 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 contain the primary legislation. Both were first amended by the Road Traffic Amendment Act 1988 (Amendment) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/3105).
	Section 15 was subsequently amended by section 83 of and schedule 8 to the Road Traffic Act 1991, which made a consequential deletion. Section 14 was amended by section 100 of the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 in respect of the exception for delivery drivers.
	The Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts) Regulations 1993 (SI 1993/176) and the Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts by Children in Front Seats) Regulations 1993 (SI 1993/31) contain the detailed regulations made under the 1988 Act. These regulations were amended by:
	The Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts)(Amendment) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/27) in respect of the exemption for delivery drivers;
	The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (Consequential and Supplementary Amendments to Secondary Legislation) Order 2006 (SI 2006/594) in respect of an exemption for SOCA officers in the course of duty; and
	The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 (Consequential Amendments) (England) Order 2004 (SI 2004/3168) in relation to England, and the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 (Consequential Amendments) (Wales) Order 2005 (SI 2005/2929) in relation to Wales and the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 (Consequential Modifications and Amendments) (No. 2) Order 2005 (SSI 2005/344), in respect of changing references in an exemption from "fire brigade" to "fire and rescue services".
	The 1988 Act and both sets of regulations made in 1993 were further amended by the Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts)(Amendment) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/1892) and the Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts by Children in Front Seats)(Amendment) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006/2213) in respect of changes required to implement the requirements of directive 2003/20/EC.
	Further amendments are proposed to the regulations to require children aged three to 13 years to use seat belts in buses and coaches. This is a requirement of directive 2003/20/EC and is subject to further public consultation, which we hope to publish later this year.
	Amendments are also required to the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (SI 1986/1078) as well as to the seat belt wearing regulations in relation to the requirement to use child restraints to the approved standards of UNECE Regulation 44/03 and directive 77/541/EEC and any subsequent adaptations. These are being prepared following consultation.

Transport Innovation Fund

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the Government's contribution to Crossrail will be funded from the Transport Innovation Fund.

Tom Harris: I refer the hon. Member to the statement that the Secretary of State made on the Transport Innovation Fund on 27 June 2006,  Official Report, column 6WS.

Vehicle Registration (Cambridgeshire)

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars are registered to keepers located in  (a) Cambridgeshire,  (b) South Cambridgeshire and  (c) East Cambridgeshire; and how many were registered to keepers in each such category in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of licensed cars registered to addresses in Cambridgeshire was as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 1996 228,585 
			 1997 238,813 
			 1998 246,264 
			 1999 259,804 
			 2000 266,873 
			 2001 274,011 
			 2002 280,510 
			 2003 284,805 
			 2004 290,870 
			 2005 296,688 
		
	
	Figures are as at 31 December in each year. Statistics for South Cambridgeshire and East Cambridgeshire are unavailable.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Solicitor-General which of his Department's databases are  (a) wholly and  (b) partly operated by external organisations or individuals; and which organisations and individuals own those databases.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has a 10-year public finance initiative partnership with LogicaCMG to modernise information technology in the service. The contract with LogicaCMG covers the provision and support of the hardware and software applications used by the CPS. These include: the CPS Case Management System; the Management Information System; the Witness Management System; and the Payroll, Human Resources and Corporate Information System. The CPS owns the data contained within the databases.
	The Treasury Solicitors Department (TSol) has five databases, each of which is wholly owned and operated by external organisations or individuals. These are: the LION intranet database which is operated by SCISYS Ltd. and contains data owned by TSol which are updated interdepartmentally and managed by the Government Legal Service; the Penserver database, a pensions database containing data owned by TSol which is operated by Paymaster and operated on behalf of TSol and the Cabinet Office; the ePayfact database, a payroll database containing data owned by TSol and operated by LogicaCMG; the BV (Bona Vacantia) auction website database called URLS.co.uk which is operated by XM London, and contains data whichare owned and managed by BV and updated interdepartmentally.
	The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) operates three database systems. The Payroll system is provided externally by LogicaCMG on secure UK sites and contains data owned by the SFO. The SFO's evidence management system, Docman, is an internally operated system containing data owned by the SFO. It is maintained by SunGard Vivista; the SFO's IT services supplier.
	HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) interrogates and utilises databases operated by the Crown Prosecution Service and the Treasury Solicitor's Department, which are both supported by LogicaCMG.

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Solicitor-General which databases operated by his Department are located  (a) wholly and  (b) partly outside the UK; and where each of those databases and parts of databases is located.

Mike O'Brien: All of the databases that the Law Officer's Departments use are located in the UK.

Diplomatic Immunity

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Solicitor-General in how many cases prosecutions have not been proceeded with due to the claiming of diplomatic immunity by the potential defendant in the last five years, broken down by  (a) country and  (b) offences; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds no central record of the number of prosecutions which did not proceed owing to a claim of diplomatic immunity. The information is held on individual case files, and could be recovered only by examining every relevant file in each CPS office. This information can, therefore, be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Legal Costs

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will list the occasions over the last 10 years when the Government have decided not to claim after winning a court case against litigants seeking or obtaining judicial review of Government policy decision; whether the Government conceded the principle of not reclaiming such costs in advance of each court case being heard; and what criteria are used in deciding whether to pursue such costs.

Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally. The information is held on individual case files, and could be recovered only by examining every relevant file. This information can, therefore, only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Travel

Greg Pope: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps he has taken to offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by ministerial travel in the Law Officers' Departments.

Mike O'Brien: All central Government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases certified emissions reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions he has visited  (a) Wales and  (b) Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Mike O'Brien: Since October 2005 I have made one visit to Northern Ireland and no visits to Wales.

Victim Compensation

Nigel Evans: To ask the Solicitor-General in what proportion of successfully prosecuted cases in Lancashire compensation for victims was  (a) requested and  (b) secured in the last period for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds no central record of requests or awards for compensation. The information is held on individual case files, and could be obtained only by examining every relevant file in each CPS office. This information can, therefore, be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Aberdeen Angus Cattle

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what support his Department offers to farmers who breed Aberdeen Angus cattle.

Barry Gardiner: There is no scheme of assistance designed specifically for farmers of Aberdeen Angus cattle. However, such farmers may be eligible for financial assistance under one of the DEFRA-run rural funding schemes. Further information is available on the DEFRA website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/funding/who/farm.htm.

Administration

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how he measures the burden of administration in his Department;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the administrative burden in his Department in each year since 1997; and what progress has been made towards the target of a reduction of 25 per cent. in the administrative burden.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA participated in the cross-Government administrative burden measurement exercise carried out by Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) on behalf of the Cabinet Office. The exercise used an internationally agreed model, recommended to the Government by business, to establish a baseline.
	As the first UK Government to take this radical approach to managing the regulatory burden, there is no comparative data before 2005 when the PwC exercise was carried out. However, we will shortly be publishing a revised DEFRA Simplification Plan. Copies will be placed in the Library. The revised Plan will update action taken since the November 2005 Initial Simplification Plan "Lifting the Burden". It will also take account of the outcome of the PwC measurement exercise and identify progress towards meeting DEFRA's commitment to reduce the overall administrative burden imposed on stakeholders by 25 per cent.

Age Discrimination

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if his Department will  (a) carry out an age audit of its staff to establish an age profile of its work force,  (b) negotiate an age management policy with trade unions and employees to eliminate age discrimination and retain older workers,  (c) identify and support training needs and offer older staff flexible working to downshift towards retirement and  (d) extend to over-50s the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The information is as follows.
	(i) Defra maintains an age profile of its work force.
	(ii) The Department has reviewed its policies and will continue to review new policies to ensure they meet the requirements of the age legislation. The trade unions have been involved in this process and will continue to be involved.
	(iii) and (iv) All employees regardless of age have responsibility for regularly reviewing their training needs with their managers. Attendance at training courses for work purposes is always paid.
	All employees can request flexible working either for downshifting to retirement or for any other reason. Line managers have responsibility to ensure all such requests are fully considered and where flexible working is not agreed, to support their decision with robust and objective justification. This is in line with the "Delivering a Diverse Civil Service" initiative.

Agricultural Support

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on European support payments to farmers in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 2 November 2006
	The following table shows payments made through CAP schemes and Rural Development Programmes to farmers in the United Kingdom for the period 2001 to 2005 as recorded in the production and income account of the economic account for agriculture. They exclude payments made through the Over Thirty Month Scheme, compensation for losses due to animal disease and capital transfers. The proportion of EU funding for each scheme is shown in the right hand column.
	
		
			  Direct payments made through CAP schemes and rural development programmes to farmers in the United Kingdom( 1) 
			  £ million 
			   Calendar years  
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005( 2)  EU funding (percentage) 
			  Crop subsidies   
			 Arable Area payments (except set-aside) 827 875 924 901 0 100 
			 Arable Area Payments on set-aside 180 143 177 129 — 100 
			 Other crop subsidies(3) 3 2 3 12 11 100 
			
			  Livestock subsidies  100 
			 Beef Special Premium(4) 241 236 238 266 — 100 
			 Suckler Cow Premium(4) 219 204 208 230 — 100 
			 Slaughter Premium 76 133 136 156 — 100 
			 Extensification Payment Scheme 118 137 145 154 — 100 
			 Beef National Envelope 19 34 34 36 — 100 
			 Scottish Beef Calf Scheme — — — — 20 100 
			 Sheep Annual Premium 181 264 276 300 — 100 
			 Sheep National Envelope — 10 10 17 — 100 
			
			 Dairy subsidies(5) 79 — — 108 — 100 
			
			 Single Payment Scheme — — — — 2375 100 
			
			  Rural Development Programmes:   
			 Less favoured areas support schemes(6) 165 165 163 153 144  
			
			  Agri-environment schemes:   
			 Countryside Stewardship and  Schemes that are part of Rural Development Programmes are partly EU funded. Funding may be up to 50 per cent. depending on the national contribution to the scheme(7). 
			 Arable Stewardship Schemes 43 59 71 104 114 (7)— 
			 Countryside Premium and Rural Stewardship Schemes 9 9 13 11 10 (7)— 
			 Tir Cymen and Tir Gofal 10 13 17 21 24 (7)— 
			 Countryside Management Scheme 1 3 3 6 3 (7)— 
			 Organic Aid and Organic Farming Schemes 18 22 21 14 10 (7)— 
			 Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme 70 73 81 82 79 (7)— 
			 Nitrate Sensitive Areas Scheme 2 2 — — — (7)— 
			
			 Other(8) 3 3 4 3 3 (7)— 
			 (1) Shows payments after deduction for modulation where appropriate. (2) Provisional. (3) CAP hops and herbage seeds support; hemp and flax aid; oilseed rape and linseed support; protein crop premium; area aid for nuts; energy crops aid. (4) Includes extensification premium and deseasonalisation premium. (5) Includes agri-monetary compensation; dairy premium and additional dairy premium. (6) Tir Mynydd in Wales, Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowance Scheme in Northern Ireland, Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme in Scotland and Hill Farm Allowance in England. (7) As shown in the table. (8) Includes Moorland, Habitat and Countryside Access Farming schemes; Entry Level Pilot Scheme.

Animal Welfare

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of breeding sows farmed within farrowing crates in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Approximately 65 per cent. of breeding pigs (290,000 sows and gilts) are kept in farrowing crates for part of the production cycle. There are strict time limits for the length of time that sows can be kept in farrowing crates. The farrowing crates protect piglets from crushing by the sow—one of the largest causes of pig mortality. We feel it is important to protect the welfare of the piglet as well as the sow.
	We would, however, prefer to avoid close confinement of sows. DEFRA has funded research to investigate and develop viable farrowing systems that do not confine the sow, but provide adequate protection to piglets. Some such alternative systems seem promising in an experimental environment, but in others, piglet mortality has been unacceptably high. It remains the case that results need to be replicated consistently under commercial conditions. As yet, the risk of piglet mortality in alternative farrowing systems remains unacceptably high.

Animal Welfare

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of implementing a ban on the use of farrowing crates for pigs; and what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the merits of such a ban.

Ben Bradshaw: We would prefer to avoid the close confinement of all sows, but there are currently no free-farrowing systems suitable for widespread commercial adoption. Farrowing crates protect piglets from being crushed by the sow, one of the largest causes of pig mortality. The time limit on how long sows may be kept in farrowing crates is from seven days before the predicted day of farrowing until the piglets are weaned. After this period, sows must be moved back to loose housing accommodation in which they are free to turn round easily.
	DEFRA has funded research to develop and test commercially viable farrowing systems which do not closely confine the sow but provide adequate protection to piglets. Some alternative systems seem promising in an experimental environment but it remains the case that results need to be replicated consistently under commercial conditions. As yet, the risk of piglet mortality in alternative farrowing systems remains unacceptably high.
	Our research, and that of other European Union (EU) member states, will contribute to the European Food Safety Authority's examination of a number of issues, including farrowing systems. This work will lead to the next review of the EU Directive on pig welfare, scheduled for 2008. We look forward to working with other member states and the European Commission on this review.

Basking Sharks

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of basking sharks living in British territorial waters.

Ben Bradshaw: The population abundance and density of basking sharks in any sea area of the world is not known. Monitoring of the UK population of basking sharks has largely been based on sightings of sharks feeding on plankton near the sea surface during spring and summer. Three public sighting recording schemes are presently under way in the UK (The Marine Conservation Society Basking Shark Watch; Seaquest South-West and Solway Shark Watch). The MCS scheme has been running for 20 years and it has observed over 24,000 animals.
	Current research (by the Marine Biological Association/Cefas) on basking sharks is using modern satellite telemetry to provide valuable information on movements and behaviour of basking sharks in the north-east Atlantic. Information uncovered to date on the geographical movement of individual sharks suggests that despite making long-distance movements they remain in the vicinity of the continental shelf around the UK, Ireland and northern France. These findings have been consolidated with sightings data from UK charities (MCS, IFAW, Shark Trust, Wildlife Trusts, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust) as part of a three-year Esmee Fairbairn Foundation-funded grant to MBA. The project is bringing together in a single database all recent data on basking shark distribution and this means that it is now possible to undertake comprehensive analyses of trends.
	Nevertheless, there is no current reliable population estimate for basking sharks in UK (or European) waters. This is due to the difficulties in relating surface sightings to actual population size. While the broad distribution patterns of basking sharks in UK waters are being uncovered by sightings data, new research using telemetry data suggests there are considerable differences in the density distributions of the animal, with animals 60 times more likely to be at the surface (and thus sighted) in mixed water fronts than stratified water fronts. Genetic research is also under way to determine whether populations of basking sharks are discrete or if there is population mixing between the north-east Atlantic region and elsewhere.

Basking Sharks

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to designate further areas for the protection of basking sharks; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Basking sharks are protected in British territorial waters under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This gives the shark protection out to 12 nautical miles.
	It is difficult to designate specific areas for basking sharks given their mobility in UK waters. This would be more appropriate if we are able to identify areas which are key to these animals' life cycle, such as, important feeding grounds or breeding grounds, or known mating areas that the animals consistently return to. At present, we do not know enough about these animals. A provision is currently being considered as part of the marine Bill to designate marine protected areas. This means that, as our scientific knowledge improves we will be able to adapt our approach to the conservation of this species, which may include the designation of marine protected areas if deemed appropriate.

Basking Sharks

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive on the subject of basking shark protection.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is in regular contact with the Scottish Executive on a wide range of nature conservation issues, including discussions on basking sharks.

Biofuels

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what funding is available to farmers wishing to diversify into the production of biofuels and biomass crops;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that farmers are able to take full advantage of the potential of agriculture to produce  (a) biofuels,  (b) biomass and  (c) other alternative sources of energy.

Ian Pearson: As part of our overall strategy for improving sustainability and reducing the impact of climate change, the Government support the use of biomass sources for the generation of heat and electricity. We are aware of the potential of biomass energy for agriculture and we are working closely with farmers and industry to develop markets and promote uptake.
	DEFRA's Energy Crops Scheme, part of the 2000-06 England Rural Development Programme, provides grants to farmers to establish short rotation coppice (SRC) and miscanthus. The scheme is now closed for applications. The Government have agreed in principle to support the establishment of energy crops under the new Rural Development Programme, which will run from 2007 to 2013, and are currently considering how best to take this forward.
	The European Union's annual €45 per hectare energy aid payment is available to farmers for purpose-grown energy crops grown on non set-aside land.
	Farmers can also receive the single payment for purpose-grown energy crops on set-aside or where the European Union's €45 per hectare energy aid payment is claimed for crops on non set-aside land.
	Support for energy crops is provided by R and D funding from DEFRA. This underpins an expansion in the commercial breeding programme. The aim is to double the output of new varieties by developing crops with maximised yield and resistance to fungal diseases and pests. Studies are also looking at the development of non-pesticide control strategies and potential new energy crops such as switch grass and reed canary grass.
	The Community Renewables Initiative aims to stimulate community-based partnerships in England to develop renewable energy, including biomass in their localities.
	In 2004, the Government commissioned a Biomass Task Force, led by Sir Ben Gill, to identify the barriers to developing bio-energy and to recommend ways to overcome the problems. They published their report in October 2005. In April 2006, the Government published their response(1) to the Task Force's report. This response accepts that energy from crops, trees and waste can make a strong contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and sets out 12 key initiatives and over 60 associated actions to make this happen. A number of the initiatives have already begun, and we published initial information on these in April 2006.
	(1) www.defra.gov.uk/farm/acu/energy/biomass-taskforce

Biofuels

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to ensure that farmers who wish to diversify into the production of biomass and biofuels are not hindered by a restrictive regulatory burden.

Ian Pearson: Under CAP Single Payment Scheme arrangements crops can be grown for energy use on set-aside land. An additional €45 per hectare payment can also be claimed if crops are grown for energy use on non set-aside land. There are specific requirements placed upon growers and processors of crops in these circumstances. The current regime is, however, subject to review and the UK, along with other member states, is working closely with the Commission to seek simplification of the relevant regulations.

Biofuels

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what change there has been in levels of production of biomass crops in England since 2000.

Ian Pearson: The following table details the hectares of miscanthus and short rotation coppice established in England under the Energy Crops Scheme. The figures are cumulative. It also details the growth rate in establishment of these crops since the introduction of the scheme in 2000.
	
		
			  Energy crop 
			   Hectares  
			   Short rotation coppice  Miscanthus  Total established  Growth rate (percentage) 
			 2002 298 52 350 50 
			 2003 391 52 443 27 
			 2004 498 354 852 92 
			 2005 788 1,011 1,799 111 
			 2006 1,180 3,356 4,536 152 
			 2001 233 0 233 —

Biofuels

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the energy crops scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The objective of the energy crops scheme is to encourage the establishment of energy crops grown in England. Energy crops are carbon-neutral and, therefore, as a substitute for fossil fuels, can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
	The following table details the hectares of energy crops established in England under the energy crops scheme since its introduction in 2000.
	
		
			   Short rotation coppice  Miscanthus  Total 
			 2001 233.2 0 233.2 
			 2002 64.5 51.56 116.1 
			 2003 93.71 0 93.71 
			 2004 106.5 302 408.4 
			 2005 290.1 657.9 948 
			 2006 392.2 2,345 2,737 
			 Total 1,180 3,356 4,537 
		
	
	Applications for planting in 2007 indicate a continuing increase in uptake. These figures show the energy crops scheme to be a viable and attractive option for farmers.

Birds and Habitats Directives

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will list the areas in  (a) Gibraltar and  (b) Cyprus sovereign base areas which meet the requirements for designation as (i) special protection areas and (ii) special areas of conservation under the EC Birds and Habitats Directives.

Barry Gardiner: The areas which currently meet the requirements for designation as special protection areas (SPA) and special areas of conservation (SAC) in Gibraltar are the Rock of Gibraltar Site of Community Importance (SCI)(1) and the Southern Waters of Gibraltar SCI.
	There are also two potential SPAs(2) in Gibraltar which are currently the subject of a consultation process.
	British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) on Cyprus are not subject to "Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora" (the Habitats Directive) and Council Directive "79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds" (the Birds Directive). However, the Administration take environmental management issues seriously and have, for example, taken steps to designate the Akrotiri Salt Lake, the largest aquatic system in Cyprus, as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention.
	Currently available information suggests that the following areas would qualify as SPAs and SACs:
	i. Akrotiri Peninsula (SPA and SAC)
	ii. Areas within the boundaries of Episkopi village including the Garrison Episkopi Forest and the coastline (SPA and SAC)
	iii. Cape Pyla (SAC with some features that probably qualify as SPA)
	iv. Akhna Dam (a very small part within the SBA as SPA).
	(1) Sites of Community Importance are candidate SACs which have been adopted by the European Commission.
	(2) Potential SPAs are sites which have received ministerial approval for consultation, the results of which will form the basis for final classification.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to respond to the consultation on bovine TB.

Ben Bradshaw: We issued a News Release on 12 July drawing attention to the publication of the summary of responses and the report of Citizens' Panels held to consider badger culling as part of the consultation. The consultation was invaluable in helping us to hear from all sides of the badger culling debate and our aim is to take decisions that are sustainable and practical in the long term. There are no plans to issue an additional response to the consultation.
	Both reports are available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/badgers-tbcontrols/responses-summary.pdf and http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/badgers-tbcontrols/citizens-panels.pdf.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will undertake a review to evaluate the effectiveness of the pre-movement testing for bovine tuberculosis.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 1 November 2006
	Monitoring the effectiveness of pre-movement testing is ongoing. Key statistics are updated monthly and published on the DEFRA website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/premovement/monitoring-data.htm.

Chemical Sprays

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are in place to protect  (a) people and  (b) the environment from agricultural chemical spray drift.

Ian Pearson: The approvals process for pesticides assesses the risk posed to people and the environment from pesticide spray drift. If the risk assessment is not satisfactory then that pesticide use would not be approved.
	This rigorous risk assessment process is backed up by a code of practice for using plant protection products (pesticides) which includes a range of practical measures to avoid spray drift. These include using the right spraying techniques and equipment and taking account of weather conditions.
	The code emphasises the need to protect members of the public, wildlife and the wider environment. It is the pesticide users' responsibility to ensure that all reasonable precautions are taken to prevent spray drift. It is a legal requirement that pesticides must only be applied to the land, crop, structure or other area being treated.

Chlorofluorocarbons

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what outstanding uses there are for chlorofluorocarbon gas in the UK under the terms of the Montreal protocol.

Ian Pearson: Under the Montreal Protocol, and EC Regulation 2037/2000 on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, the production and consumption of ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) is banned, except for essential uses in pharmaceutical metered dose inhalers agreed by Parties to the Protocol. Under the EC Regulation, there are exceptions for some military uses and some laboratory uses. As alternatives continue to become available, and military conversion programmes are completed, the need for CFCs in these applications will reduce.

Climate Change

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his oral statement of 12 October 2006,  Official Report, column 485, on climate change, what assessment he has made of the extent to which the film "An Inconvenient Truth" has raised awareness of climate change.

Ian Pearson: Al Gore's film "An Inconvenient Truth" was released in the UK on 15 September 2006. According to the distributors, United International Pictures, the film has been seen by 125,000 people. By the time the film is released worldwide, the global audience will be around 5 million.
	The film will be released as a DVD on 21 November 2006, with a potential worldwide audience of 10-20 million.
	On July 27, the Secretary of State hosted an advanced viewing event of "An Inconvenient Truth" at Bafta in London. The 190 attendees included journalists, students, representatives from various local authorities, large membership organisations, representatives from the voluntary and community sectors, environmental groups and key individuals from executive agencies and funded bodies. Feedback suggested the film is likely to be highly effective in inspiring those who watch it to do more to tackle climate change.

Climate Change

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards meeting the Government's climate change targets.

Ian Pearson: The 2006 UK Climate Change Programme contains a package of measures and commitments that will help reduce the UK's emissions of greenhouse gases to about 23.6 per cent. below base year levels and carbon dioxide emissions to 16.2 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. In addition, the recently published Energy Review set out ambitious proposals to get us on course to achieve real progress in emissions reductions by 2020 and put us on the right path to achieving our goal of 60 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. The package will deliver between 19 to 25 million tonnes of carbon savings by 2020.
	The UK is therefore on course to meet and go substantially beyond its Kyoto target of a reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases by 12.5 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2008-12.
	The Government will be reporting on progress with these targets via an annual report to Parliament.

Climate Change

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of future immigration and population growth on the production of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: UK greenhouse gas emissions projections take into account the latest population projections from the Office for National Statistics. DEFRA has not made any specific analysis of the impacts of immigration on greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate Change

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which local authorities were  (a) successful and  (b) unsuccessful in securing funding from his Climate Change Fund in the latest round; for which schemes funding was awarded; how much was awarded in each case; and when applications will be invited for the next round of bids.

Ian Pearson: The successful and unsuccessful bids from local authorities for funding from the Climate Change Fund are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Successful local authorities 
			  Local authority  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			  London
			 Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea 18,450.00 3,550.00 22,000.00 
			 London borough of Lewisham 74,950.00 30,150.00 105,100.00 
			 Greater London authority 229,500.00 187,500.00 417,000.00 
			 London borough of Bromley 30,000.00  30,000.00 
			 London borough of Sutton 73,000.00 75,750.00 148,750.00 
			  South East
			 Crawley borough council 124,747.00 125,949.00 250,696.00 
			  South West
			 Somerset county council 124,900.00 113,600.00 238,500.00 
			  West Midlands
			 Stoke on Trent city council 50,354.00 47,953.00 98,307.00 
			 Shropshire county council 13,000.00 7,000.00 20,000.00 
			  North East
			 Sunderland city council 20,500.00 15,000.00 35,500.00 
			  Yorkshire and Humber
			 City of Bradford metropolitan district council 94,900.00 106,000.00 200,900.00 
			 Kingston Upon Hull city council 42,689.00 68,728.00 111,417.00 
			  East Midlands
			 Derby city council 50,000.00 51,480.00 101,480.00 
			 Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Local Authorities' Energy Partnership 207,500.00 171,500.00 379,000.00 
			 The Wellingborough Partnership 6,700.00 — 6,700.00 
			  East of England
			 Ipswich borough council 44,098.00 — 44,098.00 
		
	
	 Unsuccessful local authorities
	 London
	London borough of Lewisham (2(nd )application)
	London borough of Bexley
	Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea (2(nd )application)
	London borough of Hillingdon
	London borough of Ealing
	London borough of Havering
	 South East
	Chichester district council
	Arun district council
	Woking borough council
	Bracknell Forest borough council
	Elmbridge borough council
	Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
	Hampshire county council
	Basingstoke and Deane borough council
	Slough borough council
	Southampton city council
	Eastbourne borough council
	Lewes district council
	Guildford borough council
	Kent county council
	Maidstone borough council
	 South West
	Devon county council
	Swindon borough council
	Penwith district council
	Teignbridge district council
	Warwickshire county council
	Redditch borough council
	Malvern Hills district council
	 North West
	Lancaster county council
	Warrington borough council
	Trafford metropolitan borough council
	Carlisle city council
	Manchester city council
	Liverpool city council
	 North East
	Scarborough borough council
	Chester-le-Street district council (two applications)
	 Yorkshire and Humber
	Selby district council
	Rotherham metropolitan borough council
	Kirklees metropolitan council
	Wakefield district council
	Harrogate borough council
	Leeds city council
	City of York council
	North Yorkshire county council
	East Riding of Yorkshire council
	Scarborough borough council
	 East Midlands
	Broxtowe borough council
	Nottingham city council
	East Midlands Regional Assembly
	 East of England
	Breckland district council
	Colchester borough council
	Luton borough council
	Essex county council
	North Norfolk district council
	Cambridgeshire county council
	We are considering funding a second round of projects in 2007 to focus on changing people's behaviour but a decision has not yet been taken. Any further rounds will be publicised and announced on our website, www. climatechallenge.gov.uk.

Consultants

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on consultancy fees in each year between 2001-02 and 2004-05.

Barry Gardiner: The Department came into being in July 2001. The information held centrally is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  (£) 
			 2002-03 15,317,093 
			 2003-04 20,260,714 
			 2004-05 78,671,992 
		
	
	Figures for the financial year 2004-05 include spending on management and business consultancy combined following reclassification of expenditure on professional services. Figures for previous financial years reflect expenditure on management consultancy alone.

Consultants

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on management consultants in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: From data held centrally, the information is as listed:
	
		
			  Financial year  Value (£) 
			 2002-03 15,317,093 
			 2003-04 20,260,714 
			 2004-05 78,671,992 
			 2005-06 44,136,007 
			 1 April 2006-27 September 2006 10,760,237 
		
	
	Figures for the financial years 2004-05 onward include spending on management and business consultancy combined following reclassification of expenditure on professional services. Figures for previous financial years reflect expenditure on management consultancy alone.

Cremation

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to tackle the effect on the environment of cremation;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect on climate change of crematoria.

Ben Bradshaw: Crematoria are regulated by local authorities under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations 2000 (PPC). As such, they are subject to the provisions and limit values for all key emissions using the best available techniques (BAT). Statutory guidance on BAT is set out in DEFRA's Process Guidance Note PG5/2, which was reviewed and revised in 2004 and can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/lapc/pgnotes/pdf/pg5-02.pdf.
	Considerable improvements have already been made to crematoria emissions under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which the PPC Regulations now replace. The latest guidance is aimed at reducing mercury emissions from all crematoria by 50 per cent. by the end of 2012, using an innovative burden sharing approach developed with the sector. I announced on 19 October, in a departmental press notice, our findings that the approach was proving successful, although we will be continuing to monitor the situation.
	I am pleased to be able to announce that we will be issuing revised guidance to local authority regulators that we consider a lower temperature of 800(o)C, rather than 850(o)C, to be adequate to deal with emissions where crematoria are fitted with abatement equipment to achieve our required 50 per cent. reduction in mercury emissions. This will help reduce fuel usage and CO2 emissions. We will be discussing further with the cremation sector how to obtain evidence of whether any similar measures can be taken for crematoria not fitted with abatement, without compromising environmental protection.
	The UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory does not report figures for any direct emissions of greenhouse gases from crematoria.

Departmental Dress Code

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on the display of religious  (a) artefacts,  (b) symbols and  (c) dress by its staff; how many staff have been subject to disciplinary proceedings regarding this policy in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The Department's commitment not to discriminate unfairly on the grounds of religion or belief is set out clearly in its equal opportunities policy.
	The Department does not have a formal policy on the display of religious artefacts, symbols and dress by its staff. There have not been any disciplinary proceedings in relation to religion.

Departmental Expenditure

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on organising and hosting conferences in the last 12 months.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA expenditure on conference organisation and sponsorship through DEFRA Communications Directorate plus centrally recorded spend from DEFRA's financial chart of accounts during the last 12 months was £3,562,246.04 This is comprised of:
	
		
			  Conference organisation sponsorship for Core DEFRA 12 Month spend: 1 October 2005 to 30 September 2006 
			  (£) 
			 Non-Pay Operational Costs of Conference Provision (i.e. administrative costs excluding DEFRA staff salaries) 814,373.78 
			 UK/EU presidency in 2005—Residual Payments 97,622.42 
			 Communications Directorate Facility Managed Conferences 600,803.51 
			 G8 and European Union Presidency 1,242,684.72 
			 G8 and International Climate Change 806,761.61 
			 Total 3,562,246.04 
			  Note: These figures do not include costs incurred by any DEFRA Agency/NDPB, as this information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department has  (a) planned to spend and  (b) spent in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA's final Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) Budget and final DEL outturn for each year since its creation are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  £000 
			  Financial year  Final DEL budget  DEL outturn 
			 2001-02 2,959,389 2,781,687 
			 2002-03 2,469,291 2,320,880 
			 2003-04 3,139,131 2,880,514 
			 2004-05 3,480,986 3,317,788 
			 2005-06 3,520,266 3,519,164 
			  Note:  2005-06 figures are provisional

Departmental Staff

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many jobs his Department and its agencies had  (a) in York and  (b) at the Central Science Laboratory site at Sand Hutton in each year since 1992.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Core Defra staff at York site 
			   Number 
			  As at:  
			 1 November 2004 367 
			 1 April 2005 378 
			 1 April 2006 403 
		
	
	
		
			  PSD staff at York site 
			   Number 
			  As at:  
			 1 November 2004 182 
			 1 April 2005 198 
			 1 April 2006 198 
		
	
	
		
			  Staff in post at CSL site at Sand Hutton between 1996 and 2006 
			   Number 
			 1996 (1)— 
			 1997 431 
			 1998 431 
			 1999 443 
			 2000 587 
			 2001 592 
			 2002 629 
			 2003 656 
			 2004 645 
			 2005 660 
			 2006 648 
			 (1 )No data available. 
		
	
	The MHS employed the following numbers of staff at its headquarters in York:
	
		
			  Financial year  HQ staff 
			 1995-96 39 
			 1996-97 55 
			 1997-98 73 
			 1998-99 80 
			 1999-2000 80 
			  Note: Excludes individuals such as contractors who may have been working on site. 
		
	
	We are unable to provide data from 1994 (when the York site opened) up to 2003 as the work needed to provide this data would result in disproportionate costs.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The following table shows details of bonuses awarded to staff in DEFRA in each financial year since November 2004. Data prior to November 2004, is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Period  Number of staff awarded bonuses  Proportion of work force (percentage)  Total amount of bonuses paid (£)  Highest bonus (£) 
			 November 2004 to March 2005 (1)513 6.7 179,879 7,616 
			 April 2005 to March 2006 (2)3,535 44.9 3,364,032 34,040 
			 April 2006 to October 2006 (3)1,019 13.9 1,362,657 15,000 
			 (November) 2006 (4)(1,680) (23.1) (2,933,611) — 
			 (1) These figures represents in-year performance bonuses only, paid to staff at grade 6 or below. (2) This figure represents annual performance bonuses paid to staff in the SCS and at grade 6 and below. In addition it also includes in-year performance bonuses paid to staff at grade 6 and below. (3) This figure represents annual performance bonuses paid to staff in the SCS only and in-year performance bonuses paid to staff at grade 6 and below. (4) This figure includes annual performance bonuses about to be paid to staff at grade 6 and below in November salaries. 
		
	
	Separate performance bonus arrangements operate for staff in the SCS and those at Grade 6 and below.
	 For the SCS:
	Non-consolidated cash payments, otherwise known as bonuses, reward in-year performances in relation to agreed objectives, or short term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Bonuses are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count towards pension.
	Bonuses are allocated by Departments from a "pot" expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the SSRB recommendations. The intention is that bonus decisions should be differentiated in order to recognise the most significant deliverers of in-year performance.
	 For staff at grade 6 and below:
	The High Performance Bonus Awards scheme introduced in April 2005, provide DEFRA staff with recognition and reward for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance that significantly exceeds normal expectations. The process should provide staff at all grades with an opportunity to earn a bonus, and ensure that achievements in operational, policy and corporate services areas are recognised as being of equal esteem.
	There are two types of award:
	In-year high performance bonuses paid to individuals or teams in recognition of one-off achievements during the year; and
	Annual high performance bonuses which are paid to the top 10 per cent. of performers in each DG for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance sustained throughout the whole year.

Departmental Staff

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was paid to former departmental employees on gardening leave in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: "Gardening leave" is used very infrequently in exceptional circumstances and as a last resort; redeployment options and project work are always considered first. Decisions are taken at a business level and depend on circumstances and business need. Details, including costs, of such leave for former employees are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Travel

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by his Department on  (a) chartering aircraft and  (b) non-scheduled air travel in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: This question can be answered only at disproportionate cost. However, in respect of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. Where non-scheduled aircraft are used this is shown in the list. Information for 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006. Copies of the lists are available in the Library for the reference of Members. All Ministers' travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members. All official travel is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the "Civil Service Management Code", a copy of which is also available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Departmental Vacancies

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of vacancies in his Department in the last 12 months required candidates to have at least a grade C in  (a) English and  (b) mathematics GCSE.

Barry Gardiner: DEFRA operates a competence-based recruitment system. GCSE English and/or maths are not specifically required because relevant experience can be used to support an application rather than educational qualifications.

Desmoulins Whorl Snails

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the state of the Desmoulins Whorl snail population in sites of special scientific interest in the UK;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of Desmoulins Whorl snail populations at sites of special scientific interest in each year to 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what representations he has received on the effect on the Desmoulins Whorl snail population of the completion of the A34 Newbury bypass;
	(4)  what the Desmoulins Whorl snail population was in the sites of special scientific interest at  (a) Rack Marsh,  (b) Boxford,  (c) Hunts Green and  (d) Bagnor Island in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: Since the public inquiry over the A34 Newbury bypass, knowledge of the Desmoulins Whorl snail distribution, ecology and conservation status has improved considerably. This has been achieved both through research and surveys (contracted by the former English Nature) and work undertaken by members of the Conchological Society of Great Britain and Ireland, including work undertaken in Europe.
	The species is much more widespread in the UK than it was formerly thought to be and has been found in new areas of some other European countries. This is likely to be a result of under-recording in the past rather than an increase in its population. It is also less fastidious in its habitat requirements and less restricted to riparian areas than was previously thought.
	Its populations fluctuate considerably at individual sites, depending on the wetness of the season and, consequently, its numbers on some parts of some sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) have been reduced in recent drought years.
	Rack Marsh, Hunts Green and Bagnor Island all form part of the Kennet and Lambourn SSSI and Boxford Watermeadow is a separate SSSI. Both sites are assessed as being in favourable condition. Whilst there have been population fluctuations of the snail, including absence on some of the drier areas, healthy populations remain elsewhere in the Kennet and Lambourn confluence floodplain both inside and outside the SSSIs.
	This variation is to be expected, given the species' response to the humidity of its environment. Precise numbers are not recorded each year as this would be highly resource-intensive and unlikely to give meaningful results. However the Environment Agency and the Department for Transport have undertaken monitoring in a number of areas in the Kennet and Lambourn confluence floodplain.
	This Department has not received any representations concerning the Desmoulins Whorl snail following the completion of the A34 Newbury bypass.

Dogs

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take further steps to regulate dog ownership through licensing.

Ben Bradshaw: We currently have no plans to re-introduce a dog licence. The Government support the approach taken by responsible dog owners who voluntarily have their pets permanently identified and registered on nationwide databases. The effectiveness of a dog licensing system is questionable; in the last year licences were administered (1988) only 44 per cent. of dog owners applied for a licence.

Dogs

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential impact of EC Council Regulations 1/2005 on  (a) exhibitors and visitors to dog shows and trials and  (b) dog breeders; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The EC Council Regulations 1/2005 will apply to the transport of animals in connection with an "economic activity". The winning of prizes at shows and trials should not be regarded as making the transport of dogs to them commercial. However, the regulation will apply to the transport of dogs to shows and trials in connection with an economic activity, for example, that of professional dog breeders.
	Those who breed dogs as a hobby will be excluded from the scope of the regulations providing that their income source does not exceed the expenses of the hobby. However, the regulation will apply to professional dog breeders.

Energy Conservation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage retailers to reduce unnecessary energy use.

Ian Pearson: The Government provide the Carbon Trust, a not-for-profit company, with funding of around £80 million each year to work closely with businesses, including retailers, to encourage more sustainable use of energy and help to establish more energy-efficient practices and systems.
	The trust achieves this through the provision of free on-site energy-use assessments; identification of areas where savings could be made; and energy-saving recommendations.
	A small fraction of retailers are participants in the voluntary climate change agreements, which offer a fiscal incentive for achievement of energy or carbon targets. The recent Energy Review identified significant potential for further cost-effective carbon savings from the non-energy intensive business and public sectors, which would include retailers. We will shortly consult on options to achieve these reductions, including a new mandatory emissions trading scheme, alongside other options.

Energy Conservation

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage a reduction in energy usage in street lighting.

Ian Pearson: The Department for Transport has the policy responsibility for street lighting, while the provision and maintenance of street lighting is the responsibility of highway authorities. All authorities should be seeking to reduce energy usage both to cut costs and to help combat climate change. As street lighting accounts for a significant proportion of the energy used by authorities, it should be readily identified as an area that should be examined for potential efficiency savings.
	It is for the authorities themselves to make decisions on the type and level of lighting required, taking into account local circumstances and in accordance with their general responsibilities and duties. In many cases, it may be possible to reduce the intensity of street lighting and as a result reduce the amount of energy used. But this must not be to the extent that the lighting fails to perform as intended in aiding movement for all road users, reducing accidents and helping to create an environment that is pleasant and safe.

Energy Conservation

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2005,  Official Report, column 507W, on energy efficiency, whether his Department has revised its estimates of the cost-effective potential for carbon savings in the commercial and public services sector through energy efficiency measures by 2010 and 2020.

Ian Pearson: No revised estimates have been made.

Energy from Waste

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect of a substantial increase in the use of energy from waste on progress towards UK targets on  (a) renewable energy and  (b) waste management.

Ben Bradshaw: Where waste cannot be recycled or composted, recovering energy from waste (EfW) is preferable to sending it to landfill. In 2004-05, energy was recovered from 9 per cent. of municipal waste in England, which is expected to increase to 25 per cent. by 2020. Increases in recycling and composting, as well as EfW will help the UK achieve its obligations under the EU Landfill Directive in diverting biodegradable municipal waste from landfill.
	In addition, energy recovered from biodegradable waste can displace fossil fuel use in conventional power generation and is classed as renewable.
	Electricity generated from waste combustion contributed about 6 per cent. of renewable electricity generation in the UK in 2005. While EfW is expected to increase, its contribution to future renewable energy generation will depend on waste composition, the pace at which new facilities are built and the types of technology used.

English Nature

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contracts were entered into by English Nature with environmental organisations in  (a) 2003-04,  (b) 2004-05 and  (c) 2005-06, broken down by (i) length and (ii) value.

Barry Gardiner: I will place copies of this list in the House Library.

Environment Agency

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has commissioned work to compare the costs of the Environment Agency with those of equivalent organisations in other European countries.

Ian Pearson: The Secretary of State has not commissioned work to compare the costs of the Environment Agency (EA) with those of equivalent organisations in other European countries. The structures, remits and funding (through charging income or general taxation) of equivalent organisations in other countries differ so much as to make such a comparison uninformative.
	The EA does liaise with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to benchmark its charging schemes and, where a true comparison is possible, costs have been shown to be broadly comparable.

Environment Agency

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was allocated in grant-in-aid to the Environment Agency for flood risk management in each year since 1997-98; and how much he expects to allocate in each year up to 2009-10.

Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 200-02W, which provided information on DEFRA funding to the Environment Agency for flood risk management from 1996-97 to 2005-06.
	I hope to announce the allocation for 2007-08 before the end of this year. Funding for the years after that will be considered in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Environmental Transformation Fund

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the proposed roles are of  (a) his Department and  (b) the Department of Trade and Industry in relation tothe Environmental Transformation Fund; and what the timescale is for the implementation of the proposals for the fund.

Ian Pearson: The final details of the scale and scope of the joint DEFRA and Department for Trade and Industry Environmental Transformation Fund will be announced in the 2007 Spending Review, for implementation in 2008.

Fireworks

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has held with the Department of Trade and Industry on the animal welfare implications of restrictions on the retail sale of fireworks.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 2 November 2006
	The Protection of Animals Act 1911 makes it an offence to infuriate or terrify any animal. Any person or organisation may initiate proceedings under this Act.
	The courts alone must decide whether an offence has been committed. A review of the legislation governing the sale and use of fireworks was carried between 2001 and 2003, which included discussions between my Department and the Department of Trade and Industry. Following that review, the Government supported a Private Member's Bill that introduced new regulations on the sale and use of fireworks—the Fireworks Act 2003.
	Regulations were introduced in 2004, under the 2003 Act, to prohibit the use of fireworks after 11 pm (12 am on 5 November). They also ban the supply of excessively loud fireworks. These measures were partly brought in to protect animals.

Fisheries

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the British quota for white fish is allocated across the  (a) over 10 m and  (b) under 10 m sectors of the British fishing industry in England.

Ben Bradshaw: At the beginning of each year, the United Kingdom receives a fixed percentage of the total allowable catch for each quota stock. Fisheries Administrations then calculate the UK quota which will be distributed to producer organisations and most other groups based on the aggregate of the fixed quota allocations (FQA) units held by members within each group. The membership of producer organisations mainly involves over 10 m vessels. Members of the under 10 m fleet, which fish against the under 10 m pool of quota, do not hold FQA units with their licences. Instead, units are held on a nominal "dummy" licence and the aggregate of these are used to calculate the opening allocation for these vessels. Some adjustments are then made to the quota which members might otherwise receive to boost their share of the UK quota for certain stocks before their opening quota is set.

Fisheries

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fishing vessels are registered in the UK fishing industry; and what estimated number is in the  (a) over 10 m and  (b) under 10 m sector.

Ben Bradshaw: On 1 September 2006, there were 5,977 fishing vessels registered and licensed in the United Kingdom (excluding Islands). Of these, 1,458 were over 10 m in length and 4,519 were 10 m or under in length.

Flood Relief

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) capital and  (b) revenue funding was allocated to flood relief for financial year 2006-07; and what changes have been made to these allocations in the last six months.

Ian Pearson: DEFRA funds most of the Environment Agency's flood-related work and grant aids individual capital improvement projects undertaken by local authorities and, in low-lying areas, internal drainage boards. The programme to manage risk is driven by these operating authorities; DEFRA does not build defences, nor direct the authorities on what specific projects to undertake.
	The following table shows current allocations for 2006-07 compared to the beginning of the financial year:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Allocation at start of financial year  Allocation now 
			 DEFRA grant to Environment Agency for capital spend 189.0 189.0 
			 DEFRA grant to Environment Agency for revenue spend 239.0 224.1 
			 DEFRA grant to local authorities and internal drainage boards for capital flood risk improvement projects 15.7 15.7 
			 DEFRA grant to local authorities and internal drainage boards for capital coast protection improvement projects (which protect against coastal erosion but often also have significant benefits in terms of protection against flooding from the sea) 68.7 68.7 
		
	
	The only change has been a reduction of £14.9 million in grant for Environment Agency revenue spend. The Government also supports revenue spend by local authorities on flood risk management through revenue support grant, administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Fox Hunting

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Forestry Commission has taken to encourage former fox hunts to switch to the use of artificial scents when drag hunting on Forestry Commission land.

Barry Gardiner: The Forestry Commission allows drag hunting to take place in some areas formerly used for fox hunting. Their agreement with the Masters of Fox Hounds Association includes in the terms and conditions details of the scent that may be used. This has been revised for the current season by including the requirement for hunts to continue efforts to achieve successful hunting with chemical-only based scent.

GM Crops

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when he expects to make available the responses to the recent consultation on GM co-existence; and if he will place them on the Department's website;
	(2)  when he is expected to bring forward a draft statutory instrument on co-existence of GM crops with other crops;
	(3)  when the results of the recent consultation on co-existence between genetically modified and non-genetically modified crops will be announced; and how many correspondents were  (a) in favour,  (b) against and  (c) neutral on the proposals.

Ian Pearson: We have received several thousand responses to the consultation on proposals for managing the co-existence of genetically modified (GM) and non-GM crops in England. We do not intend to put individual responses on our website, but we will publish a summary of the responses as soon as possible. Copies of the responses will be publicly available through the DEFRA Library. In due course we will indicate how we intend to proceed having weighed up all the comments. It is too early to say when we might bring forward draft co-existence regulations, although it remains our objective to have co-existence measures in place before there is any commercial GM cultivation.

GM Labelling

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors underlay his Department's decision to set genetically modified (GM) contamination levels at 0.9 per cent. in foods before GM labelling is required.

Ian Pearson: In 2003, the Member States of the European Union (EU) decided collectively that crops or food ingredients should be exempted from carrying a genetically modified (GM) label if they have an adventitious, or technically unavoidable presence of an approved GM organism below 0.9 per cent. This is specified in EU law.

Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Permits

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to reduce the  (a) length and  (b) complexity of the registration application for the integrated pollution prevention and control permit by the Environment Agency.

Ben Bradshaw: The Environmental Permitting Programme, launched by DEFRA in partnership with the Environment Agency and Welsh Assembly Government, seeks to combine the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) and waste management licensing systems into a common permitting and compliance system.
	The proposed integrated permit, planned for implementation in 2008, is set out in the second of two consultations. This aims to streamline and simplify the mechanics of the permitting and compliance systems for waste and IPPC. The new system, consisting of fewer, simpler rules and clearer guidance, would result in a more unified approach allowing industry, regulators and the public to focus more on environmental outcomes and less on how they are achieved.
	More information is available at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/epp.

International GCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

Barry Gardiner: This qualification is not recognised by DEFRA as it is neither part of the National Qualification Framework or regulated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. DEFRA operates a competence-based recruitment system and would require applicants who hold this qualification to also provide evidence of relevant experience in support of their application.

International Whaling Commission

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to encourage EU members that are not signatories of the International Whaling Commission to sign.

Ben Bradshaw: I have recently written again to the Environment Ministers of all European Union (EU) member states that are not currently members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), and to those seeking accession to the EU, to encourage support for the IWC moratorium on commercial whaling, and for the United Kingdom's policies on whaling. Furthermore, I also raised the issue of IWC membership at the recent Environment Council meeting in Luxembourg.
	DEFRA officials also ensure that Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts in the relevant capitals are briefed, and engage in discussion with their counterparts on whaling at every appropriate opportunity. This ensures that these countries are in no doubt of the importance that the UK places on whale conservation.
	We shall continue to encourage more conservation- minded countries to join the IWC as soon as possible, in order to reverse the pro-whaling majority.
	The UK and its allies have taken every opportunity to try to persuade new anti-whaling countries to join the IWC, with some success: six have joined in the last two years.

International Whaling Commission

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Cypriot Government on Cyprus joining the International Whaling Commission.

Ben Bradshaw: I have written to the Cypriot Government, and to all the other member states of the European Union that are not yet members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), urging them to join the IWC, stressing the importance of their membership.
	I am pleased to say that I received a reply from my counterpart in Cyprus. He has assured me of Cyprus' commitment to conservation issues and that the Cypriot Government is looking to join the IWC in the near future. The British Embassy in Nicosia is fully engaged in supporting the Cypriot Government in this step.

Light Bulbs

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of light bulbs purchased by his Department in 2005 were of the compact fluorescent type.

Barry Gardiner: Eighty per cent.

Live Animal Exports

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many live adult cattle have been exported for  (a) breeding,  (b) further fattening and  (c) slaughter since 1 May 2006; and how many in each category were exported to each country of destination.

Ben Bradshaw: It is not currently possible to obtain reliable information from the EU-wide system for export certification (TRACES).
	However, the GB Cattle Tracing System (CTS) is updated as and when cattle are exported. The CTS shows that 14,352 cattle of 42 days of age and older were exported to mainland Europe in the period from1 May 2006 to 11 October 2006. The CTS does not indicate whether the animals were intended for breeding, production or slaughter. The cattle were exported to the following countries: Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, France, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Estonia, Poland, Denmark, Romania and Switzerland. A breakdown of how many cattle were exported to each of these countries is not available.

Live Animal Exports

Gwyn Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1593W, on animal exports, what the total journey time was from the place of departure to the final destination of each of the consignments of calves exported from Dover on 11 October 2006.

Ben Bradshaw: Ten of the 14 route plans have so far been returned. The time taken to the nearest hour to get from the export premises to the places of destination including rest breaks during the journey are recorded as:
	
		
			  Destination country  Duration (hours) 
			 Belgium 21 
			 Spain 65 
			 Belgium 55 
			 Belgium 56 
			 Belgium 56 
			 Belgium 56 
			 Belgium 58 
			 Belgium 59 
			 Spain 68 
			 France 30

Lyme Bay (Scallop Dredging)

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will place in the Library copies of  (a) written submissions and  (b) notes of oral submissions related to the Department's decision in the case of Lyme Bay scallop dredging.

Ben Bradshaw: I have arranged for summaries of submissions made to me, and released to Devon Wildlife Trust and interested parties under the Environment Information Regulations (S.I. 2004/3391), to be placed in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Speech

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much it cost  (a) to publish in booklet form and  (b) to distribute his speech to the Royal Show on 3 July.

Barry Gardiner: David Miliband's speech, "One Planet Farming—Towards a shared agenda for the future of farming", was not actually published in booklet form until after the Royal Show. The cost of the typesetting and printing of the document was £10,490 excluding VAT. It was sent to 53,000 farmers with the British Farmer and Grower publication by the NFU, at no additional cost to DEFRA.

Muslim Council of Britain

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much  (a) financial support and  (b) support in kind his Department and its agencies have given to the Muslim Council of Britain in each year since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: The Department and its agencies can confirm that  (a) no financial support has been given to the Muslim Council of Britain since 1997 and that similarly  (b) no support in kind has been provided.

Natural England

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contracts Natural England has entered into with environmental organisations since its inception, broken down by  (a) length and  (b) value of contract.

Ian Pearson: There are currently no contracts in place.

Nirex

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Nirex work force regarding his proposals to merge Nirex into the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Ian Pearson: The Secretary of State made clear in his parliamentary statement and his open letter to the Nirex Chair that we are determined to harness the skill and commitment of the Nirex work force within the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. The Nirex Board is being consulted about the proposed share sale. We are committed to ensuring that Nirex staff will be fairly treated.

Nirex

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings his Department's  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials have had with representatives of (i) Nirex, (ii) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and (iii) Sovereign Strategy in the last 24 months.

Ian Pearson: On 1 April 2005, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) was established under the Energy Act 2004 and United Kingdom Nirex Ltd. was brought under Government ownership.
	Since that time, according to departmental records, DEFRA Ministers have had meetings with representatives of Nirex on two occasions and with representatives of the NDA on one occasion. DEFRA officials have had meetings with representatives of Nirex on at least 21 occasions and with the NDA on at least 14 occasions. There have been no meetings between DEFRA Ministers, or DEFRA officials, and representatives of Sovereign Strategy.
	DEFRA officials have also been at meetings and workshops with more general attendance at which representatives of Nirex or the NDA have been present.

Nirex

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 273W, on Nirex, if he will consult the Sustainable Development Commission on his plans to merge Nirex into the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Ian Pearson: Ministers and officials meet the Sustainable Development Commission regularly, and there is opportunity to raise any matters in which they have an interest.

Nuclear Waste

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to minimise the movement between licensed nuclear sites of conditioned radioactive waste.

Ian Pearson: There are various factors (such as social impacts, technical issues, protection of the environment, land use, transport, availability of radioactive waste treatment and disposal facilities and economic factors) that may need to be considered in any future decision about moving conditioned radioactive wastes between licensed nuclear sites. The desire to avoid excessive transportation of materials is an important consideration but must be balanced with all other relevant factors on a case-by-case basis.

Nuclear Waste

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what investigations into the suitability of the soil strata for low or high-level nuclear waste have been made in West Yorkshire.

Ian Pearson: I am not aware of any specific investigations of the suitability of soil strata or underlying rocks in West Yorkshire for land-based radioactive waste disposal facilities.

Nuclear Waste

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what process he plans to adopt to assess the likely cost of  (a) interim storage and  (b) long-term disposal of intermediate and high level radioactive waste.

Ian Pearson: The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's (NDA) site licensee companies already have costed plans for the interim storage of waste included in their site lifetime plans. Several stores are already in operation.
	We accept the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management's (CoRWM) recommendation that the process for developing a geological disposal option should be undertaken on a staged basis, with clear decision points. That will allow the Government to review progress and to assess costs, value for money and environmental impact before decisions are taken to move to the next stage.
	Final disposal costs will depend on the site and the concept agreed. This is a major investment which will be incurred over a period of many years to ensure long-term public and environmental safety.

Nuclear Waste

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to increase resources available to the Environment Agency to use for work on radioactive waste regulation.

Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency (EA) recovers the costs of its statutory regulatory activities directly from nuclear site licensees and from non-nuclear users of radioactive materials, through statutory charging schemes. Through the Health and Safety Executive, from nuclear site licensees, and currently through an agreement with Nirex, the EA has other cost recovery routes for its assessment work relating to nuclear waste conditioning and eventual disposal.
	The EA and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) are jointly considering how the NDA may fund an increasing level of work that the agency plans to undertake during the coming years, in accordance with the Government's Managing Radioactive Waste Safely implementation programme.
	These funding routes, together with the continued provision of grant in aid, should provide the EA with the necessary resources for effective radioactive waste regulation.

Nuclear Waste

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will assess the merits of making funding available to support the expenses of public and stakeholder engagement on the detail of implementation of geological disposal of radioactive waste.

Ian Pearson: In developing the implementation framework for the geological disposal of higher-activity radioactive waste, the Government will consider the provision of any engagement and community packages as proposed by the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM). The implementation framework will be subject to public consultation next year.

Nuclear Waste

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether radioactive waste from private nuclear operators including British Energy will become part of the proposed inventory of nuclear waste to be placed in the geological repository.

Ian Pearson: The Government have accepted the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management's (CoRWM) recommendation for geological disposal as the best technical option for the long-term management of the United Kingdom's higher-activity radioactive waste. The inventory of materials for disposal in any given facility will need to be clearly defined before agreements with potential host communities can be finalised and before technical options are developed in depth.

Nuclear Waste

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to his Oral Statement of 25 October 2006,  Official Report, columns 1519-34, on the radioactive waste management report, how many jobs will be transferred from Nirex to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; where they will be located; and what estimate he has made of the  (a) one-off and  (b) ongoing cost savings which will result from the transfer.

Ian Pearson: Nirex has key skills and expertise that we shall be safeguarding, as these are of utmost importance to the programme of work to secure geological disposal. It is anticipated that the staff of Nirex will transfer to the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on terms at least as favourable as those they currently enjoy. The NDA will consult with staff to explore their options and preferences as part of the integration process.
	For the foreseeable future, Nirex staff will remain at Harwell. Under the proposed transfer, this would, however, be a matter for the NDA, and would be the subject of discussions with individual staff. There are no plans for relocation.
	Although currently owned by DEFRA and Department of Trade and Industry, the majority of Nirex's funding comes from the contract they retain with the NDA. It is anticipated that the proposed restructuring, utilising the powers given to the NDA under the Energy Act 2004, will provide the most efficient and robust means of implementing Government policy in future without the need to go through the costly and time-consuming establishment of new statutory bodies.

Organic Food

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much in-season organic food has been grown in the UK each year since 2000.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government collect information from UK organic certification bodies relating to land area utilised but not the volume of food produced. This information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  UK organic and in-conversion land use (2000-06) 
			   Thousand hectares 
			 December 2000 527.3 
			 December 2001 679.6 
			 June 2002 699.9 
			 December 2002 724.5 
			 March 2003 741.2 
			 January 2004 695 
			 January 2005 674.5 
			 January 2006 619.9

Pet Fairs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance he has issued on pet fairs; and whether he plans to bring forward amendments to the Animal Welfare Bill in relation to pet fairs.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has not issued any formal guidance on pet fairs.
	The Government do not consider it necessary to table any amendments to the Animal Welfare Bill in relation to pet fairs. The Bill will allow pet fairs to be regulated through secondary legislation to be made under clause 13. Any proposals will be subject to wide consultation.

Poultry Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage poultry slaughterhouses in England to change from constant voltage to constant current stunners; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government funded research into the development of a constant current stunner, which showed that there are welfare benefits from this method. However, it also identified some practical limitations and we are not aware that any equipment manufacturer has to date produced a system that can be operated commercially.

Poultry Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) broiler chicken and  (b) turkey slaughterhouses in England use gas to kill the birds; and which gas mixtures are used in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The most recent survey, conducted in 2003, indicated that two broiler chicken slaughterhouses and two turkey slaughterhouses use gas to kill the birds. Provided that the gas mixture used is permitted under the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended), it is for the slaughterhouse operator to decide which gas mixture to use.

Poultry Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage poultry slaughterhouses in England to change from electrical stunning to non-aversive gas mixtures for the killing of broiler chickens and turkeys; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Both electrical stunning and gas killing are legally permitted methods of slaughter under the EU slaughter directive (93/119/EC) and the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended). It is for slaughterhouse operators to decide which method to adopt.
	However, the use of non-aversive gas mixtures for the killing of broilers and turkeys does have welfare benefits over electrical systems, as there is no requirement for the shackling of live birds.
	When the slaughter directive is reviewed, we will support making available all gas mixtures that have been demonstrated through research to be minimally aversive and deliver acceptable welfare at slaughter.

Poultry Slaughterhouses

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the proportion of  (a) broiler chickens and  (b) turkeys electrically stunned in England that (i) receive pre-stun electric shocks, (ii) are stunned using pulsed direct current, and (iii) have both carotid arteries severed at slaughter; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not collect these data.
	The Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations 1995 (as amended) require that no bird receives an electrical shock before stunning in a waterbath. If this does occur, enforcement action is taken by the Official Veterinarian to rectify the problem. In general, design modifications or alterations to the operation of the waterbath are effective in preventing pre-stun electrical shocks.
	Severing both carotid arteries of birds at slaughter is good practice and is recommended in our white meat code of practice, which is currently being consulted upon.

Pre-movement Cattle Testing

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the effect on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis of pre-movement testing.

Ben Bradshaw: The effect on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis of pre-movement testing was considered in a regulatory impact assessment which is available on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/pdf/prmt-regulatory.pdf. This assessment is being kept under review.

Pre-movement Cattle Testing

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has estimated the cost to the farming industry of pre-movement testing of cattle.

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the financial implications for cattle farmers of the introduction of pre-movement testing for cattle over 15 months from 27 March 2006; and what financial implications he anticipates from the extension of pre-movement testing to cattle under 15 months from 1 March 2007.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 1 November 2006
	Pre-movement tests are a private transaction between a farmer and their local veterinary inspector. Government continue to fund the provision of tuberculin and all routine TB surveillance tests, at a cost of approximately £40 million per year. These routine tests qualify as pre-movement tests if the animals are moved within 60 days of testing.
	Cost sharing on animal health issues between Government and industry is a key part of our animal health and welfare strategy. As there are benefits to herd owners from buying or selling cattle with additional disease assurance, herd owners are now expected to share the costs of tests which are outside the routine surveillance programme.
	The financial implications of pre-movement testing were considered in a regulatory impact assessment which is available on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/pdf/prmt-regulatory.pdf. This assessment is being kept under review.

Protected Food Names

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to encourage British producers to make use of the European Union protected food name scheme;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the merits of the European Union protected food name scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The European Union (EU) protected food name scheme provides farmers and producers with a way in which to add value to their product and meet consumers' demand for more regional and local food. Under DEFRA's Regional Food Strategy, we have tasked Food from Britain with working with the Regional Food Groups and producers to raise awareness of the scheme and encourage more applications.
	Over the last two years DEFRA has written to a large number of trade associations and producers to remind them of the economic benefits to producers of achieving protected name status, and held positive meetings with a number of key organisations including the National Farmers' Union, the Country Land and Business Association, the English Beef and Lamb Executive, the British Pig Association and the Milk Development Council to discuss possible applications.
	We have also commissioned research which can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/foodname/research/pdf/adasresearchpdo.pdf.
	This research aimed to determine the awareness, perception, and attitudes towards, the EU protected food name schemes among UK retailers. I am pleased to say that all this effort is yielding some positive results. In addition to the 36 UK products which have been registered so far, a further nine applications have been submitted to the European Commission with 20 more at the UK stage of the application process.

Public Service Agreement

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards the 2004 Spending Review Public Service Agreement target to reduce the gap in productivity between the least well-performing quartile of rural areas and the English median by 2008.

Barry Gardiner: The progress which has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target to reduce the gap in productivity between the least well-performing quartile of rural areas and the English median is detailed in chapter 3 of the Departmental Report 2006. A copy is available in the House Library.

Public Service Agreement

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made towards the 2004 Spending Review Public Service Agreement target to improve the accessibility of services for people in rural areas.

Barry Gardiner: The progress which has been made towards the Public Service Agreement target of improving the accessibility of services in rural areas is set out in chapter 3 of the Departmental Report 2006, a copy of which has been deposited in the House Library.

Recycling

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to encourage local authorities to expand their recycling programme to include  (a) recycling of plastic and  (b) kerb-side recycling.

Ben Bradshaw: Recycling is strongly promoted by a range of Government policies and we have set demanding targets, both nationally and locally, for household waste recycling and composting. However, these targets are not material-specific. The Waste Strategy review consultation, which we carried out earlier this year, also included proposals to set much more ambitious household waste recycling and composting targets, to reach 40 per cent. by 2010 and 50 per cent. by 2020. As well as encouraging more sustainable resource use, increasing recycling rates helps divert waste from landfill and therefore contributes to our efforts to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Local authorities' ever- diminishing landfill allowances, allocated under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, also provide a strong incentive to divert greater amounts of biodegradable waste from landfill.
	Plastics can present a challenge for recycling as there are a number of different types in use, each requiring separate collection (or separation after collection) and treatment facilities to recycle. It inevitably takes time for this capacity to develop. However, more demanding recycling targets will mean authorities will be compelled to turn their attention to the more difficult waste streams, including plastics.
	Under the Household Waste Recycling Act 2003, all local authorities in England will be required to collect at least two types of recyclable waste from all households in their area by the end of 2010. Most households already receive this, or a better, level of service.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), funded by DEFRA and the devolved administrations, is working to promote sustainable waste management by creating stable and efficient markets for recycled materials and products, including plastics and compost. WRAP's Recycling and Organics Technical Advisory Team (ROTATE) programme helps local authorities improve the efficiency of their recycling services. This includes advice to those planning to introduce a new scheme or the collection of a new material such as plastic.

Rivers

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures he is taking to ensure viable riverflows during periods of  (a) drought and  (b) high water use.

Ian Pearson: The Government's approach to the management of sustainable water resources is the "twin track" approach which involves the consideration of demand management alongside sustainable resource development. The Environment Agency has a duty to secure the proper and efficient use of water resources in England and Wales. This includes the regulation of water abstraction from sources of supply including rivers, lakes, canals and underground sources through a system of licensing, to minimise damage to the environment.
	Water companies have water resource management plans which look ahead 25 years and include projections of current and future demands for water. These plans are regularly updated to account for factors such as projections of household numbers and occupancy rates and the implications of climate change. The plans are due to become a statutory requirement in 2007.
	Water companies also have drought plans to ensure the security of the public water supply in periods of drought. The Water Act 2003 has made the production of such plans a statutory requirement. The plans contain a series of steps, which cause the company to initiate a range of actions depending on the severity and extent of the drought.

Rural Payments Agency

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will ensure that the Rural Payments Agency makes a substantial part payment to farmers in England of the 2006 payments due to them under the Single Payment Scheme before the end of the 2006 calendar year.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 31 October 2006
	The legal payment window runs from 1 December 2006 to 30 June 2007.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his statement on 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1478, that delivery of the 2006 Single Payment Scheme will be very challenging and that he did not want to commit to a particular payment timetable until the Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency has had an opportunity make a realistic assessment of the prospects. That remains the position.

Rural Payments Agency

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the percentage staff turnover at the Rural Payments Agency has been in the past  (a) six and  (b) 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 31 October 2006
	The following table shows all starters and leavers in the last six and 12 months. "Leavers" includes those individuals who left on redundancy terms as part of the downsizing of RPA.
	
		
			   (a) Six months 1 May 2006 to 1 October 2006  (b) 12 months 1 November 2005 to 1 October 2006 
			 Staff 3,157 3,148 
			 Leavers 325 630 
			 Starters 214 665 
			 Increase/decrease (percentage) -3.52 1.11

Seal Hunting

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he is taking to help stop the commercial hunting of seals by Canada.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are opposed to the Canadian seal hunt and would prefer all seal hunting for commercial purposes to be banned. The Government are considering a possible extension of the current ban on the import of certain seal products and will make a statement to the House once the outcome of the review is known. However, the seal hunt does not break any current international agreements, and so this is ultimately a matter for the Canadian Government.

Seal Hunting

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he has discussed the culling of seals in Canada with the Canadian Government.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government regularly makes their abhorrence of the Canadian seal hunt known to the Canadian authorities. On 27 February 2006 the former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry raised the seal hunt with the Canadian Minister of International Trade during an introductory telephone call, and most recently my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs raised the issue with the new Canadian high commissioner to London during an introductory meeting on 11 October 2006.

Single Farm Payment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will re-consider the entry requirement for the single farm payment to ensure that only those who are genuinely farming are entitled to that payment.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 23 October 2006
	The eligibility requirements for the single payment scheme, including the definition of a farmer, are set in EU legislation and I know of no plans to change them. However we will in due course consider if a de minimis should be applied to single farm payments.

Single Farm Payment

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether he plans to make interim payments under the single farm payments scheme for the year 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 31 October 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his statement on 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1478, that delivery of the 2006 single payment scheme will be very challenging and that he did not want to commit to a particular payment timetable until the Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency has had an opportunity to make a realistic assessment of the prospects. That remains the position.

Single Farm Payment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the proportion of farm income which was derived from the single farm payment scheme in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) the North West in each year since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: The single payment scheme came into effect in the UK on 1 January 2005 and in that year was estimated to total £2.4 billion after deductions for modulation. Total payments to UK farmers less levies were estimated at £3.0 billion while total income from farming was £2.5 billion.
	Estimates at a regional level are made by apportioning the total using standard gross margins. These are not available for Lancashire and are not yet available for 2005 for the North West.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Total subsidies including SPS  Total income from farming 
			  UK   
			 1997 2,777 2,864 
			 1998 2,646 2,022 
			 1999 2,692 2,053 
			 2000 2,484 1,575 
			 2001 2,459 1,847 
			 2002 2,694 2,362 
			 2003 2,796 3,081 
			 2004 2,955 2,767 
			 2005 3,043 2,521 
			
			  North West   
			 1997 154 80 
			 1998 173 37 
			 1999 176 50 
			 2000 153 4 
			 2001 138 46 
			 2002 144 71 
			 2003 163 94 
			 2004 179 78 
			 2005 n/a n/a

Single Farm Payment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the European Commission's audit of England's 2005 single farm payment.

Barry Gardiner: We are at an early stage in the European Commission's scrutiny of the 2005 single payment scheme (SPS) and have yet to receive any findings on which to base an assessment.

Single Farm Payment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his estimate is of the likely financial correction to be imposed by the European Commission for the delays and difficulties in administering England's 2005 single farm payment; how he reached this figure; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: There is a well established process for discussion on, and refinement of, any proposals for financial corrections that the European Commission may decide to make in due course. Experience of such proposals under the old CAP regime would suggest that that process would then take some time to reach a conclusion. However, in line with normal Government accounting arrangements, provisions and contingent liabilities totalling some £131 million have been shown in the 2005-06 departmental accounts, this being a prudent estimate based on the limited knowledge to date.

Single Farm Payment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the expected expenditure is on the single farm payment in  (a) 2006-07 and  (b) 2007-08; and what the original budget allocated was in each case.

Barry Gardiner: The UK national ceiling for single payment scheme (SPS) is €3.945 billion in 2006 and €3.961 billion in 2007. Actual expenditure in each year will depend on the extent to which farmers apply for payment against their SPS entitlements and the level of deductions that pertain to those applications, including the effects of eligibility and cross-compliance penalties, EU and national modulation and, possibly for the 2007 scheme, financial discipline.

Single Farm Payment

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers have not received the single farm payment for 2005 because of enforced penalties for late submission of claim.

Barry Gardiner: In 2005, 134 farmers applied after10 June which was the final deadline for submission for the single payment scheme and therefore received no payment.

Single Farm Payment

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many penalties for late claim single farm payments enforced by his Department have been appealed against.

Ian Pearson: The Rural Payments Agency has received 10 stage 1 appeals under the single payment scheme appeal procedure against penalties applied for the late submission of 2005 single payment scheme application forms.
	Of the nine appeals that have been reviewed two cases were successful and seven were unsuccessful.
	None of the unsuccessful cases have progressed to the second stage of the appeal procedure although two cases remain in time to do so.

Single Farm Payment

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many penalties for late claim single farm payments his Department enforced in the latest period for which figures are available; what the  (a) largest and  (b) average penalty was in that period; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: There have been 4,824 late claim penalties in respect of single payment scheme claims received in 2005, to a value of £3,252,879. The information on the largest penalty and the average penalty is not available.

Single Farm Payment

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will ensure that the Rural Payments Agency makes substantial part payments to farmers in England for the 2006 payments due under the single payment scheme before the end of the 2006 calendar year; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 1 November 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said in his statement on 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1478, that delivery of the 2006 single payment scheme will be very challenging and that he did not want to commit to a particular payment timetable until the Chief Executive of the Rural Payments Agency has had an opportunity make a realistic assessment of the prospects. That remains the position.

Single Farm Payment

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what response he has made to the National Audit Office report on the single farm payment scheme.

Barry Gardiner: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has welcomed the NAO's thorough report. The Department and Rural Payments Agency will draw on its findings and recommendations, along with those in the forthcoming reports from the Public Accounts Committee and Environment Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, in taking forward work on the single payment scheme.

Single Farm Payment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on decoupling of single farm payments.

Barry Gardiner: The single payment scheme is already decoupled. However, in discussions with the European Commission and other Members of the EU Agriculture Council, UK representatives, led by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, continue to press the case for completing the process of decoupling by removing the remaining coupled direct aid schemes.

Single Farm Payment

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers in Essex are still waiting for their single farm payments; and when he expects all outstanding payments to have been made.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The single payment scheme is not administered on a regional basis, so it is not possible to identify specific payments outstanding to farmers in Essex.
	As at 17 October, 114,037 claimants (97.91 per cent.) had received a total of £1.510 billion (99.7 per cent.) in full or partial payments based on an estimated total number of claimants of 116,474 and an estimated total fund value of £1.515 billion.
	Of approximately 2,400 customers who have yet to receive a payment, most have claims valued below €1,000 (£682). This figure includes 58 outstanding priority one customers (those due an estimated €1,000 or above) with complex cases involving issues such as probate, liquidation and business partnership disputes.
	The Rural Payments Agency will endeavour to pay outstanding cases as soon as possible, although it is not possible to suggest a timeframe to clear all cases.

Single Farm Payment

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the estimated cost was to  (a) his Department and  (b) farmers of delays in administering the single payment to farmers in Suffolk.

Barry Gardiner: Additional costs, in the form of reduced EU funding, may arise in relation to payments under the 2005 single payment scheme (SPS) which are made after the end of the regulatory payment window on 30 June 2006. However, it is not yet possible to say what if any costs will arise in practice as that depends on the outcome of ongoing discussions with the European Commission and the amount and timing of outstanding payments across the UK.
	As announced on 22 June 2006,  Official Report, column 1478, the RPA is also paying interest payments to those claimants who had not received their full SPS payment by 30 June 2006 subject to a £50 de minimis. As at 11 October 2006, £318,201 in interest payments had been made.
	Drawing on the advice received from the British Banking Association, the NAO has estimated that payments beyond February or March could have cost farmers between £18 million and £22.5 million in interest and arrangement fees on additional bank loans and increased short-term borrowings on overdrafts.

Single Farm Payment

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of his Department's proposed budget reduction is the result of  (a) changes in Treasury accounting rules,  (b) the administration of the 2005 single payment scheme and  (c) underspending in previous years.

Barry Gardiner: Like all large organisations, DEFRA faces new financial pressures each year which require us to constantly review and adjust our spending plans. The current financial year (2006-07) brought several such pressures that meant the Department had to reduce its original resource budgets by around £200 million (about 7 per cent. of our resource budget baseline funding). These pressures stemmed from:
	surplus capital charge budget no longer being available to fund programme expenditure due to new tighter rules governing public expenditure (around 30 per cent.);
	costs deferred from 2005-06, not as a result of underspending but arising from pressure on the budget that year (around 45 per cent.);
	with the balance relating to pressures identified since the beginning of this year. This included cover for RPA's running costs (around 11 per cent.), including administration of the single payment scheme for both 2005 and 2006.

Single Farm Payment

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much farmers in  (a) the Wantage constituency,  (b) Oxfordshire and  (c) the south east have received payments from the single farm payment scheme in each year since it was introduced.

Barry Gardiner: A breakdown of payments made under the English 2005 single payment scheme is not currently available but will be published in due course.

Single Farm Payment

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the re-prioritisation of his Department's spending for 2006-07 to meet unavoidable extra costs was due to  (a) additional resources for the single farm payment scheme,  (b) the response to avian influenza and  (c) other reasons; what other reasons there were; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: As with other large organisations, DEFRA faces new financial pressures each year which require constant review and re-adjustment to our spending plans. The current financial year (2006-07) brought several such pressures that meant the Department had to reduce its original resource budgets by around £200 million (about 7 per cent. of the Department's resource baseline funding and about 5 per cent. of the overall budget). These pressures stemmed from:
	RPA's running costs (about 11 per cent.), including administration of the single payment scheme for both 2005 and 2006;
	Avian influenza (about 5 per cent.);
	surplus capital charge budget no longer being available to fund programme expenditure due to new tighter rules governing public expenditure (around 30 per cent.);
	costs deferred from 2005-06 (around 45 per cent.);
	other miscellaneous pressures (about 9 per cent.).

Single Farm Payment

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much contingency funding has been set aside for the payment of EU penalties in relation to the single farm payment scheme in 2005-06 and 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: There is a well established process for discussion on, and refinement of, any proposals for financial corrections that the European Commission may decide to make in due course. Experience of such proposals under the old CAP regime would suggest that that process would then take some time to reach a conclusion. However, in line with normal Government accounting arrangements, provisions and contingent liabilities totalling some £131 million have been shown in the 2005-06 Departmental accounts, this being a prudent estimate based on the limited knowledge to date.

South Downs National Park

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the present position is regarding the possible creation of a South Downs National Park; and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The designation process for the proposed South Downs National Park has been put on hold while DEFRA appeals against a High Court judgment in respect of the New Forest National Park designation. Known as the "Meyrick" judgment, it has implications for any future National Park designations or boundary variations as it potentially changes the way in which the criteria for National Parks have generally been understood and interpreted since the first National Parks in England were designated.
	DEFRA's appeal was heard by the Court of Appeal on 1 November and the outcome is now awaited. Only when that is resolved will the Secretary of State be able to decide how to re-start the South Downs process, including whether or not to invite further representations.

Tenancy Reform

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what reforms have now been introduced as part of the tenancy reform industry group proposals.

Barry Gardiner: The proposals of the Tenancy Reform Industry Group (TRIG) for legislative change have now been incorporated into the Regulatory Reform Order (Agricultural Tenancies) (England and Wales) Order 2006 which amends the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 and the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. The Order was first laid before Parliament on 30 March and came into force on 19 October. The Order will promote a healthy and competitive tenanted sector without removing tenant protection, or disrupting the landlord and tenant balance. In particular, the Order will:
	 (a) Enable a successor to a tenancy to earn income from diversified activities without losing the right to succession, where the landlord consents,
	 (b) Enable landlords and tenants to reach their own agreements on rent reviews and end of tenancy compensation,
	 (c) Make it easier for landlords and tenants to restructure holdings held under a 1986 Act tenancy,
	 (d) Remove the need for unnecessary applications to the Agricultural Land Tribunal where a landlord agrees on the successor to the tenancy,
	 (e) Enable landlords and tenants to agree the length of a notice period to suit their particular circumstances, providing it is longer than the minimum period of 12 months.
	These changes will foster tenant farmer diversification and enable landlords and tenants to adapt to the modern agricultural climate.

Tuberculosis Advisory Group

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when and why the decision was taken to choose a small number for the tuberculosis advisory group; and whether any of the members chosen were co-opted.

Ben Bradshaw: As part of their role, the TB advisory group will be asked to consider specific issues raised by Ministers and the chief veterinary officer. On 19 July, Ministers agreed to keep membership of the group small to allow the chairman to bring in further expertise depending on the task and/or discussions.
	The chairman considered applicants for the group and made his recommendations to the chief veterinary officer. All members will serve in a personal capacity and bring a balance of experience across farming, veterinary, conservation and welfare issues.

Tuberculosis Advisory Group

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were interviewed for the post of chair of the tuberculosis advisory group.

Ben Bradshaw: Five people were interviewed forthe post of chairman of the TB advisory group. The application and appointment process was conducted in line with Nolan procedures and the guidance laid down by the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Tuberculosis Advisory Group

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will publish the terms of reference for the tuberculosis advisory group.

Ben Bradshaw: The TB advisory group's terms of reference were published on 20 July 2006 when the chairman, Peter Jinman, was appointed. Further information is available on the DEFRA website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/partnership/advisorygroup.htm.

Waste Management

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his Department's policy is on increased mass-burn incineration of London's waste.

Ben Bradshaw: London, in common with every other region in the UK, must achieve massive reductions in the extent to which it relies on landfilling its waste. We would prefer this to be achieved as far as possible by minimisation, reuse and recycling, but where this is not practicable, energy from waste (including mass burn incineration with energy recovery) offers substantial greenhouse gas emission savings over landfill.

Waste Management

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the Greater London Authority of the proposed new duty on waste authorities to undertake their functions in general conformity with the Mayor's Municipal Waste Management Strategy.

Ben Bradshaw: The proposed duty on waste authorities to undertake their functions in general conformity with the Mayor's Municipal Waste Management Strategy will not impose additional costs on the Greater London Authority. The new duty, along with the Mayor's existing power of direction, will help ensure the strategic vision the Mayor sets out for London is delivered on the ground.

Waste Management

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to deliver efficiency savings in waste management in London;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the projected savings in waste management in London over the next 10 years; and what other estimates of such savings he has examined.

Ben Bradshaw: Mott MacDonald carried out work, jointly commissioned by DEFRA and the Greater London Authority (GLA), on opportunities for efficiency gains in waste management services in London. The report estimates that London authorities would need to generate efficiency savings of £45 million in 2007-08 and £145 million in 2009-10. The report considers efficiency savings that are achievable in London's waste and identifies a number of areas where efficiency savings are possible. The report is published on the GLA website at:http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/environment/waste/lswa/index.isp
	"The Greater London authority: The Government's Final Proposals for Additional Powers and Responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly", concluded that the creation of a Single London Waste Authority responsible for waste disposal would not generate significant cost savings, and could even increase the costs of dealing with London's waste. Further information is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1501733.
	We are making good progress towards achieving our Gershon efficiency savings on waste. Provisional figures for environmental services indicate that £245 million per annum of efficiency gains are expected to be achieved in 2006-07 (£55 million of which is expected to be achieved within London). This puts us well ahead of schedule to meet the £299 million per annum target for environmental services in 2007-08.
	DEFRA will continue to facilitate efficiencies across England (including London) through:
	(i) The Waste Implementation Programme which includes work-streams providing standard documentation, toolkits, best practice case studies, funding to local authorities for consultancy work, advice on technology choices, good quality data and help with Private Finance Initiatives and other funding arrangements.
	(ii) The new Waste Infrastructure Development Programme (WIDP). WIDP aims to complement and expand on DEFRA's current efforts to comply with European Union Landfill Directive targets by:
	(a) establishing the scale of residual waste treatment infrastructure required to meet the landfill Directive targets in 2010, 2013 and beyond and accurately monitoring the ongoing delivery of projects in order to stay abreast of continuing requirements; and
	(b) developing and implementing measures which will accelerate the delivery of the necessary residual waste treatment infrastructure in a timely, value-for-money and affordable manner.
	(iii) Support to the Regional Centres of Excellence—which have been drafting a national action plan on Environmental Services efficiency, supported by regional action plans;
	(iv) The Waste and Resources Action Programme, which is funded by DEFRA and provides a wide range of support and best practice to local authorities on reducing and recycling waste;
	(v) Other enablers, such as the Office of Government Commerce on procurement, and local authorities sharing best practice including through the Beacon council scheme.

Waste Management

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations he has received on Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority's submission for the project to deliver recycling, treatment and disposal services.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State received a letter, dated 18 May 2006, from Councillor Steve Foulkes in his capacity as chairman of the Merseyside Leaders' Group. The letter covered a number of issues including Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority's proposed waste private finance initiative project and generic waste issues faced by councils nationally.

Waste Management

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) ministerial colleagues and  (b) local authorities about the level of support available to Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority to meet its statutory obligations.

Ben Bradshaw: The Secretary of State has had no discussions with ministerial colleagues or local authorities regarding the level of support available to Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority. However, my officials have been in productive discussion with officers from the Merseyside Waste Disposal Authority, since the start of this calendar year, regarding their long-term procurement for delivering recycling, treatment and disposal services.

Wessex Flood Defence Committee

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) salary and  (b) other costs were of the Director of the Wessex Flood Defence Committee in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: The current salary of the Chairman of the Wessex Regional Flood Defence Committee is £16,397. It is anticipated that the Chairman's salary and other costs (£5,212 in 2005-06) will continue to rise in line with inflation during the next five years.

Wessex Flood Defence Committee

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many overseas visits on official business the Chairman of the Wessex Flood Defence Committee made in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: The Chairman of the Wessex Flood Defence Committee attended a conference in the Netherlands in June, marking the closure of a large European project, the Joint Approach for Managing Flooding.
	No further overseas trips on official business are anticipated.

Wessex Flood Defence Committee

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) salary and  (b) other costs were of the Chairman of the Wessex Flood Defence Committee in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: The Chairman of the Wessex Flood Defence Committee's salary and other costs including Employer's National Insurance contributions, with travel and subsistence since April 2002, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  (£) 
			   Salary  Other costs  Total 
			 2002-03 G. Sturdy 14,860 3,668 18,528 
			 2003-04 G Sturdy/H.Temperley 15,190 5,811 21,001 
			 2004-05 15,495 7,076 22,571 
			 2005-06 15,880 5,212 21,092 
			 2006-07 16,397 (1)5,306 21,703 
			 (1) Projection based on expenses incurred until July end 2006 
		
	
	The Chairman of the Wessex Regional Flood Defence Committee undertook 73 official trips in 2004-05 and 48 official journeys in 2005-06. The travel costs during this period totalled £7,640.

Wessex Flood Defence Committee

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the costs relating to the running of the Wessex Flood Defence Committee were in each of the last five years.

Ian Pearson: The costs of running the Wessex Flood Defence Committee for 2005-06 were as follows:
	
		
			  (£) 
			 Chairman's Salary 15,880 
			 National Insurance 2,033 
			 Catering/Subsistence 2,514 
			 Travel 2,378 
			 Financial Loss Allowance 1,149 
			 Total 23,954 
		
	
	No detailed figures are available for the cost of running the Committee in previous years. Since the number of meetings each year has not changed in the last five years, the costs will be of the same order, allowing for inflation. The costs for 2006-07 are projected to be £24,500, based on the costs incurred in the first six months of this year.

Wildlife Officers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will reconsider the proposal to make wildlife officers compulsorily redundant.

Barry Gardiner: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The Department issued compulsory redundancy notices to 19 wildlife officers (WOs) on 27 October. These WOs are based on two sites at Polwhele (near Truro) and Aston Down (near Stroud).
	There has been no work for the WOs since April 2006, and there is no prospect of future work for the WOs at the WLU sites in future. Although no announcement has been made on any future badger culling policy, Ministers have made it quite clear since last December that, if there was to be a culling policy, it would not be delivered by Government employees. DEFRA can no longer justify retaining these staff when there is no work for them to do.
	Every effort has been made to redeploy the WOs affected, including retraining and experience postings. Of the original 77 WOs:
	46 have taken voluntary redundancy since April;
	12 are on temporary loan or experience posting or secondment and will not be issued with notice at this stage; and
	19 remain without work or redeployment, and will be issued with notice on 27 October.
	Those issued with notice will have six months' notice of redundancy during which efforts to redeploy and retrain will continue. The Department remains committed to making every effort to avoid compulsory redundancy. However, in this case, the conclusion has been reached that there is no option and nothing to be gained by any further delay. Consultation with departmental and national unions has taken place, and the Department has followed the guidelines issued to all civil service departments to avoid compulsory redundancies wherever possible.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Biofuels

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what change there has been in levels of production of biofuels in the United Kingdom since 2000.

Stephen Ladyman: I have been asked to reply.
	Detailed information on the production of biofuels in the UK in the year 2000 is not held centrally, but the total amount produced is likely to have been very small. In July 2002, the Government introduced a 20- pence-per-litre fuel duty incentive for biodiesel, and in January 2005 it introduced a similar fuel duty incentive for bioethanol. These have led to a steady increase in UK biofuel sales, which in September 2006 were running at some 25 million litres a month. Approximately two-thirds of current sales are made up of biodiesel, the great majority of which is produced in the UK.
	The Government announced in November 2005 that they would introduce a renewable transport fuel obligation, the effect of which will be to create a large new market for biofuels in the UK. This has led to a significant amount of investment in new UK biofuel production facilities. There are currently two major biodiesel production plants in operation in the UK—the ArgentEnergy plant near Motherwell and the Biofuels Corporation plant in Teesside—which between them are capable of producing some 300 million litres of high quality biodiesel a year, some of which is exported. A number of other biodiesel plants are at the planning and construction stage, including a Greenergy plant at Immingham which is due to come on stream in 2007. No bioethanol is yet produced in the UK, although a number of plants are at the planning and construction stage, including a British Sugar plant at Wissington in Norfolk and a Green Spirit plant at Henstridge in Somerset.

Bridges Community Development Venture Fund

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money his Department has provided to the Bridges Community Development Venture Fund; and what plans he has to allocate further funds.

Margaret Hodge: The Government have committed £20 million to the Bridges Community Development Venture Fund, of which £15,454,434 has been drawn down to date. There are no plans to allocate further funding.

Bulgaria

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the regulatory arrangements for the utilities sector in Bulgaria on UK companies investing in that sector.

Malcolm Wicks: While there has been no formal assessment of the potential impact of the regulatory arrangements for the utilities sector in Bulgaria by the Department, an important consideration for many UK companies wishing to invest in the utilities sector overseas is transparent, independent regulation.
	In Bulgaria, the State Energy and Water Regulatory Commission has been set up to provide the administrative infrastructure and the authority to implement efficient regulation in these sectors. In general, because its procedures follow closely those of OFWAT, this should be an advantage to UK companies, who are familiar with working in a regulated environment.
	The implementation of these regulatory procedures is, however, at an early stage in respect of the water utilities.

Bulgaria

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the investment climate for UK companies wishing to invest in Bulgaria.

Malcolm Wicks: Bulgaria's stable political and economic environment has created a favourable climate for inward investment resulting in approximately$2,324.2 million of foreign direct investment in 2005, including $245 million from the UK.

Burmese Imports

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps with his EU counterparts to bring the EU trade regulations affecting imports of Burmese origin into line with those in the USA.

Malcolm Wicks: The UK and Burma are both members of the World Trade Organisation and are obliged to abide by its rules. To require imports from Burma to be compulsorily labelled as to their country of origin would be incompatible with the non-discrimination obligations of the WTO. Such labelling/marking is not currently a compulsory requirement for any goods sold in the European Community whether imported or EU-produced.

Chlorofluorocarbon Gases

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what factories in Europe produce chlorofluorocarbon gases; and for which UK products such gases produced in Europe are supplied.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	Only one company in Europe produces chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs) gases for UK companies and this company is based in Spain (Arkema). Some of this production is for two UK companies and the CFCs are used for some CFC-based metered dose inhalers for asthma patients, and to help satisfy needs in developing countries.

Coal-fired Power Stations

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on new initiatives to make all new coal-fired power stations carbon neutral.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department allocated £35 million for the demonstration of carbon abatement technologies, which include both cleaner coal and carbon capture and storage. The first call is worth £10 million with the remaining £25 million being split between two additional calls in the future. Some £20 million annually is also allocated in the Department's technology programme for research and development into a range of clean energy technologies including carbon abatement technologies.
	The EU emissions trading scheme is intended to provide a strong commercial incentive for the take-up by new and existing coal-fired power stations and other carbon emitting installations of these technologies, if and when they become a cost-efficient way of reducing or avoiding carbon emissions.

Colombia

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Colombian government with regard to bilateral trade in the telecommunications sector.

Malcolm Wicks: None.

Credit Card Debt

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the current level of credit card debt.

Ian McCartney: Figures from the Office of National Statistics record total consumer credit card debt at £55 billion in August 2006.

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which of his Department's databases are  (a) wholly and  (b) partly operated by external organisations or individuals; and which organisations and individuals own those databases.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Under the private finance initiative contract Fujitsu operate the MATRIX (electronic document record management), CALIPSOE (human resource personnel) and CAPRI (correspondence handling) systems on behalf of the DTI headquarters.
	Under a service contract AMEY operate the MENTOR (Financial) system on behalf of the DTI HQ.

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which databases operated by his Department are located  (a) wholly and  (b) partly outside the UK; and where each of those databases and parts of databases is located.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The DTI HQ operates no databases outside the UK.

Departmental Staff

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if his Department will  (a) carry out an age audit of its staff to establish an age profile of its work-force,  (b) negotiate an age management policy with trade unions and employees to eliminate age discrimination and retain older workers,  (c) identify and support training needs and offer older staff flexible working to downshift towards retirement and  (d) extend to over-50s the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Department regularly monitors the age profile of its work force.
	 (b) The Department has developed a diversity action plan in order to meet its aim of enabling all staff to reach their full potential, in discussion with the trade unions and the Department's diversity advisory groups and in line with the commitments set out in the Cabinet Office 10-point plan on diversity. The Department is committed to addressing discrimination on all grounds, including age and will complete diversity impact assessments on relevant policies to ensure that staff are treated fairly.
	 (c) As part of our annual appraisal process all staff are encouraged to identify and support training needs appropriate to their individual situation. Individuals and managers regularly review these as part of the reporting process.
	 (d) The Department is fully committed to flexible working and to providing its staff with the opportunity for good work life balance., Therefore all staff, of whatever age, are eligible for to apply to work flexibly and their applications are given careful consideration. Any member of staff may apply for special leave with pay to undertake approved adult further education.
	As part of the diversity action plan the Department will be delivering diversity awareness training to all staff in the Department that will cover age discrimination.

Departmental Staff

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employees in  (a) his Department and  (b) its (i) agencies and (ii) non-departmental public bodies were affected by the rise in the minimum wage on 1 October 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Across DTI, its executive agencies and its non-departmental public bodies, two employees were affected by the rise in the national minimum wage on 1 October 2006.

Economic Partnership Agreements

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from  (a) African, Caribbean and Pacific Governments,  (b) UK companies,  (c) other companies,  (d) corporate umbrella groups and trade associations and  (e) other EU Governments with regard to economic partnership agreements.

Malcolm Wicks: The Minister for Trade and Investment and Foreign Affairs has had numerous representations from ACP and other EU Governments, and I will be meeting with ACP Ministers and their negotiators at the Commonwealth Secretariat on 2 November and look forward to further discussion on that occasion. The Department has received some representations from UK businesses and umbrella organisations who want EU tariffs to be lowered further to ensure they are able to use competitively priced imports. However, no business representation has been received seeking access to ACP markets.

Economic Partnership Agreements

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to bring forward each of the economic partnership agreements between the EU and African, Caribbean and Pacific nations for ratification by Parliament; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Negotiations between the European Commission and ACP regions on economic partnership agreements are due to be completed by the end of 2007. As the question of ratification will depend on the content of the agreement, we will not be able to give a clearer answer until closer to that point.

Employment Tribunals

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many employment tribunals involving a pre-hearing on the employment status of the appellant took place in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06; and how many of the pre-hearings were (i) appealed and (ii) overturned on appeal.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of employment tribunal claims which had a pre-hearing in 2004-05 and 2005-06 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 3,501 
			 2005-06 5,171 
		
	
	The tribunals service does not specifically record the number of pre-hearings on employment status or how many of the pre-hearings were appealed and overturned on appeal.

Energy Research Centre

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding is provided to the UK Energy Research Centre by his Department; what the aims of the body are; and how many staff are employed by it.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The research councils have allocated the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) funding of £13.876 million over the period 2004-09. The UKERC aims to: generate, synthesise and disseminate knowledge and insight on sustainable energy systems to enable cohesive research supporting UK energy policy goals; act as a source of authoritative information on energy research, development and demonstration competences in the UK; co-ordinate the national energy research network (a network for energy researchers); and underpin the quest for sustainable energy solutions through undertaking interdisciplinary programmes of research.
	UKERC's funding covers six research programmes plus supporting functions. It is a collaboration between eight academic and research institutions. 59 researchers (33 full-time equivalents) plus seven administrative/support staff (5.7 FTE) are supported by the UKERC. All of these are directly employed by their parent academic or research institution. Eighteen studentships are also funded through UKERC.

Farepak

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he plans to meet the directors of Farepak.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 24 October 2006
	The Minister for Trade has no plans personally to meet the directors of Farepak.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has already announced that the Department's companies investigation branch is conducting an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the failure of Farepak and our officials will seek to interview whomever they consider can assist them in their inquiries.

Farepak

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is planning to meet the directors of HSBC to discuss the collapse of Farepak.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 24 October 2006
	The Minister for Trade has no plans personally to meet the directors of Farepak's bank.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has already announced that the Department's companies investigation branch is conducting an enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the failure of Farepak and our officials will seek to interview whomever they consider can assist them in their inquiries.

Farepak

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects the administrator BDO Stoy Hayward to report on the closure of Farepak.

Ian McCartney: Administrators were appointed on 13 October over Farepak Food and Gifts Ltd. They have six months from the date of their appointment within which to report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on the conduct of the directors of the company.
	The Administrators will publish an initial report to Creditors on the finances of the company within six weeks.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has already announced that the DTI's criminal investigation branch is conducting an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the future of Farepak.

Farepak

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from the Hamper Industry Trade Association with regard to the collapse of Farepak.

Malcolm Wicks: None, but my right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade will be meeting the association in the near future.

Farepak

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he is planning to meet the directors of HBOS to discuss the collapse of Farepak.

Jim Fitzpatrick: holding answer 2 November 2006
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade has no plans to meet the directors of Farepak's bank.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry has already announced that my department's companies investigation branch is conducting an enquiry into the circumstances surrounding the failure of Farepak and our officials will seek to interview whomever they consider can assist them in their inquiries.

Farepak

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with the Farepak administrator on  (a) asset recovery,  (b) asset disposal and  (c) the position of creditors.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 2 November 2006
	I have met the administrators to discuss their preliminary findings. The administrators have issued some information by way of press releases and by updating the Farepak website. They are required to report their appointment to the creditors (so far as they are aware of their addresses) within 28 days of their appointment, unless the court directs otherwise. They are also required within three months of the date of their appointment (or such other period as the court may allow) to put their proposals for achieving the purpose of the administration to the creditors for consideration.

Fur Trade

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations his Department is making to the European Commission regarding the trading of cat and dog fur.

Malcolm Wicks: Officials in DTI and DEFRA are in contact with their European Commission counterparts concerning the trade in cat and dog fur and we understand that a proposal is likely to be published by the European Commission shortly. The proposal from the European Commission is in response to calls from the UK and other member states for EU action.

Furniture and Furnishing Regulations

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer to question 96606, if he will apply the Furniture and Furnishing (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 to imported furniture at the point of entry into the UK, with particular reference to sofas.

Ian McCartney: The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 apply to imported upholstered furniture destined for the domestic market, including sofas. These regulations apply at the point of entry to the UK and are enforced by Trading Standards. HM Revenue and Customs liaises with Trading Standards on furniture imports as appropriate.

General Affairs and External Relations Committee

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions were held with  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from other EU Governments at the October General Affairs and External Relations Committee in Luxembourg on economic partnership agreements; and if he will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: No formal bilateral discussions were held in the margins of the General Affairs and External Relations Committee in Luxembourg, although the UK, and other EU member states, raised issues surrounding economic partnership agreements during the General Affairs Council discussion.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what his Department's five most expensive  (a) web and  (b) non-web information technology projects have been since 2001;
	(2)  how much his Department has spent on  (a) information technology projects and  (b) web-facing information technology projects in each year since 2001;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of information technology projects undertaken by or for his Department since 2001 have been delivered  (a) over budget,  (b) after their original deadline,  (c) on budget,  (d) under budget,  (e) on their original deadline and  (f) ahead of their original deadline;
	(4)  how many  (a) information technology projects and  (b) web-facing information technology projects his Department has undertaken in each year since 2001.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Due to a change in the DTI HQ's accounting system and the devolved nature of the ICT until April 2006, consistent information of all the material requested cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.
	During this period the Department's IT services has been provided through a PFI agreement with Fujitsu Services covering desktop services, web infrastructure services, documents management and HR systems. The current annual running cost is in the region of £30 million.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department has spent on information technology consultants in each year since 2001; and how many of those consultants worked on web-facing projects.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Due to a change in the DTI HQ's accounting system and the devolved nature of the ICT until April 2006, consistent information to answerthe question fully cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.
	We are however able to provide information for IT consultancy contracts let since April 2006. The total amount to date is £288,132. Only one of these consultants worked on a web-facing project.

Loan/Credit Companies

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many loan and credit companies are registered; and how many new registrations of such companies there were in each year since 1987.

Malcolm Wicks: The Office of Fair Trading is responsible for consumer credit licensing. OFT current figures show that there are currently 128,944 licence holders. The following table details the number of licences issued each year since 1987.
	
		
			   Number of Licences Issued 
			 1987 20,312 
			 1988 21,969 
			 1989 26,323 
			 1990 24,998 
			 1991 24,203 
			 1992 20,504 
			 1993 18,906 
			 1994 16,927 
			 1995 15,547 
			 1996 16,595 
			 1997 17,852 
			 1998 20,818 
			 1999 18,785 
			 2000 16,603 
			 2001 15,131 
			 2002 16,074 
			 2003 16,510 
			 2004 15,853 
			 2005 15,726 
			 2006 10,514 
		
	
	Since 31 October 2004, the Financial Services Authority has been responsible for regulating mortgage lending. FSA figures record that in 2004-05, the number of regulated mortgage businesses was 3,935 and in 2005-06, the number of such businesses was 3,589.

Loan/Credit Companies

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what  (a) legislation and  (b) other regulations govern  (a) on-line money lending companies and  (b) companies taking credit for Christmas goods; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Companies offering credit to consumers, including by on-line methods, are subject to regulation under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and/or the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. There is no form of regulation with specific application to businesses which take advance payments for goods or vouchers to be delivered at a future date, though all normal consumer, contract and insolvency legislation will apply.
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for Trade, is due to meet the chief executive officer of the OFT to ask him to consider reviewing the need for regulation of Christmas club companies.

Moldova (Wine Imports)

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make representations to the European Commission to facilitate the import of wine from Moldova.

Ian McCartney: There are no restrictions on imports of wine into the EU and like any other wine producer, Moldova can sell its wine to EU consumers provided the relevant EU import duty is paid.

National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many staff have been employed by the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship for each year since its inception; and what its total budget has been in each year.

Margaret Hodge: The National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship was established in 2003. The following table shows the number of permanent staff it employs, and its total budget (provided jointly between DTI and DfES) for each year.
	
		
			   Staff (Number)  Budget (£) 
			 2003-04 1 200,000 
			 2004-05 5 810,000 
			 2005-06 6 760,000 
			 2006-07 7 900,000

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated cost is of the move of the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill to the site of the former National Temperance Hospital in Camden; what assessment has been made of the potential implications for public safety of the move; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The cost of the relocation of the NIMR from Mill Hill to central London has yet to be finally determined. The Medical Research Council is currently undertaking an appraisal of a wide range of possible options, and hopes to be able to identify a preferred option by December 2006.
	The MRC has consulted Government security experts and the Health and Safety Executive, as is the case with all major building projects, and will continue to do so.

Older Employees

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of employees aged over 65 years whose employment was terminated before October 2006 by companies aiming to avoid the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have no evidence that in the period before the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 came into force there was an increase in the number of older workers whose employment was terminated in anticipation of the legislation. Indeed, the labour force survey shows that job growth among employees aged 65 years or older has in recent years occurred at a much faster pace than for employees aged below 65.

Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions there have been for excessive packaging under the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003.

Malcolm Wicks: To date, four successful prosecutions have been brought under the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations.

Palm Oil

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what volume of palm oil was imported from Colombia in each of the last five years; what the total UK market share Colombian palm oil had in the sector in the same period; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: According to information published by HM Revenue and Customs the volume of palm oil imported into the UK from Colombia in the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			   Metric Tonne 
			 2001 61,998 
			 2002 40,058 
			 2003 64,271 
			 2004 104,200 
			 2005 110,670 
		
	
	Information on sales by UK manufacturers is suppressed for commercial confidentiality. Consequently, it is not possible to calculate the share of UK market held by imports from Colombia.

Panama Canal

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of the implications of the plans to modernise the Panama canal for United Kingdom trade; and what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the plans for UK trade with  (a) Japan,  (b) China,  (c) India and  (d) Australia.

Malcolm Wicks: The canal is currently operating at its full capacity and the expansion will enable the very large container ships, presently unable to transit the canal, to use the route from 2014, doubling the current capacity of 14,000 ships a year. This represents around 5 per cent. of all world shipping.
	While no formal assessment has been made on the implications for UK trade including our trade with Japan, China, India and Australia, it is expected that the expansion will benefit UK and global shipping companies by improving access through this key route.

Post Offices

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has for the future of the post office network in Sunderland; and whether the new card account for pensioners will be retained.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible for matters relating to the operations of a network of post offices in any given area around the country. I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	The Department for Works and Pensions' contract for the Post Office card account will expire in 2010, as it was always meant to. Exactly what accounts will be available beyond 2010 is not yet settled. Discussions between POL and the DWP are ongoing. The aim is to ensure that customers continue to have a range of choices in how they can access their money at post offices.

Post Offices

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices have closed in each parliamentary constituency in the last 10 years; how many post offices there were on 1st April 2006 in each parliamentary constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The question raised relates to operational matters for which Post Office Ltd. is directly responsible. The company compiles figuresfor post office branches in each parliamentary constituency on an annual basis. This information is placed in, and is available from, the Libraries of the House.

Regional Selective Assistance

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding has been clawed back from foreign companies that were in receipt of regional selective assistance because they failed to meet the conditions attached to the funding concerning job targets or target investment levels in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Margaret Hodge: Regional selective assistance is only awarded to companies registered in the United Kingdom.
	The total amount of RSA recovered from companies registered in the United Kingdom, who have overseas parent companies is outlined in the following table, for periods 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2006.
	This information is broken down by each accounting year and by each local authority area.
	
		
			  Recoveries from foreign companies from 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2006 
			   Total  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Nottingham 500,000 — — — — 500,000 — — 
			 Liverpool 100,000 100,000 — — — — — — 
			 North Tyneside 18,000,000 18,000,000 — — — — — — 
			 Newcastle-upon-Tyne 12,000,000 — — 12,000,000 — — — — 
			 South Hams 244,687 — 244,687 — — — — — 
			 Plymouth 156,502 16,000 — 140,502 — — — — 
			 Nuneaton and Bedworth 380,000 — 380,000 — — — — — 
			 Birmingham 1,219,986 — 700,000 519,986 — — — — 
			 Glanford 236,535 — 236,535 — — — — — 
			 Sheffield 16,150 — 16,150 — — — — — 
			 North Lanarkshire 9,629,000 1,129,000 — — 500,000 8,000,000 — — 
			 South Lanarkshire 1,880,896 88,215 175,000 1,470,000 — 100,000 47,681 — 
			 North Ayrshire 667,000 633,000 34,000 — — — — — 
			 South Ayrshire 20,000 — — — 20,000 — — — 
			 Renfrewshire 968,295 385,320 — 430,000 73,000 — 79,975 — 
			 West Lothian 20,888,121 1,098,039 30,932 16,966,014 2,473,136 — 320,000 — 
			 East Dunbartonshire 200,000 200,000 — — — — — — 
			 West Dunbartonshire 640,000 — — 640,000 — — — — 
			 Inverclyde 3,200,000 3,000,000 200,000 — — —  — 
			 Glasgow 300,000 — — — — 60,000 240,000 — 
			 Fife 4,877,337 — 1,283,611 400,000 2,050,000 98,000 770,726 275,000 
			 Angus 80,000 — — 80,000 — — — — 
			 Dundee 280,000 — — — 275,000 — 5,000 — 
			 Falkirk 100,000 100,000 — — — — — — 
			 Anglesey 771,555 — — — — — — 771,555 
			 Blaenau-Gwent 1,590,000 1,045,000 342,000 — 95,000 — — 108,000 
			 Bridgend 680,000 — — — 400,000 — — 280,000 
			 Merthyr Tydfil 226,295 177,545 48,750 — — — — — 
			 Neath-Port Talbot 400,000 — — 400,000 — — — — 
			 Newport 36,292,638 — — — 348,438 144,200 35,800,000 — 
			 Rhonda Cynon Taff 3,115,000 — 1,165,000 1,950,000 — — — — 
			 Wrexham 95,500 — — — 95,500 — — — 
			 Total 119,755,497 25,972,119 4,856,665 34,996,502 6,330,074 8,902,200 37,263,382 1,434,555

Savings Companies

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if he will forward measures to strengthen the law to give greater protection from the closure of savings companies;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the Financial Services Authority on the closure of Farepak; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Companies offering financial services, including savings companies, are already subject to specific regulation. One of the main objectives of this regulation is to protect savers and investors in the event of company failure, and I have at present no new measures in mind in relation to savings companies. The Minister for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs is meeting the chief executive of the Office of Fair Trading to ask the OFT to reassess the regulatory framework which applies to Christmas club companies such as Farepak, and whether changes are needed in that framework. He will consult other bodies as appropriate in the light of his discussion with the OFT.

UK-Burma Oil Trade

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value was of trade in oil between the UK and Burma in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Ian McCartney: In 2005 there were about 22,000 of petroleum products exported from the UK to Burma. Up to August 2006 there were exports worth about £1,000. In the same periods there have been no recorded petroleum imports from Burma into the UK.

World Trade

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action his Department is taking to secure a successful Doha trade round of World Trade Organisation talks.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government remain fully committed to securing an ambitious, pro-development outcome to the Doha Development Agenda. Our priority is to restart the negotiations at the earliest opportunity, and to encourage WTO members to show the flexibility necessary to reach agreement. The UK Government have taken and will continue to take every opportunity to press for this, both within the EU and with other WTO members.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency attendances there were in each quarter since the quarter ended December 2005, broken down by attendances to  (a) type one accident and emergency departments,  (b) walk-in centres and  (c) minor injuries units.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. Information available is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Attendances at type one accident and emergency departments  (A and E), walk in centres (WiCs) and type three A and E departments, England, quarter three 2005-06 to quarter one 2006-07 
			   Quarter  Type one  WiCs  Type 3 (excluding WiCs)( 1) 
			 2005-06 3 3,346,995 616,165 484,321 
			 2005-06 4 3,282,671 612,305 489,873 
			 2006-07 1 3,509,769 629,417 583,148 
			 (1) A type three A and E department is defined as—other type of A and E, including minor injury units (MIUs) and WiCs with designated accommodation for the reception of A and E patients that provide treatment for at least minor illness and injury and can be routinely accessed without appointment. A type three department may be doctor-led or nurse-led. A service mainly or entirely appointment based (for example a general practitioner practice or out-patient clinic) is not a type three A and E service even though it may treat a number of patients with minor illness or injury.  Note: MIUs are one type of type three A and E and will be included in these figures, but data are not collected separately for MIU attendance.  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE

Accident and Emergency

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the pattern of admission to University hospital of Hartlepool accident and emergency department in each of the last five years, with particular reference to  (a) day of the week of admission and  (b) time of day of admission.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested.

Accident and Emergency

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people waited for more than four hours to be seen in the accident and emergency (A&E) department at  (a) St. Richard's hospital, Chichester,  (b) Princess Royal hospital, Haywards Heath,  (c) Worthing hospital,  (d) Queen Alexandra hospital, Portsmouth and  (e) Royal Sussex county hospital, Brighton in each of the last three years; and whether each of those hospitals met the Government target for A&E waiting times in each of those years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is only collected at trust level. The table shows the number of people spending over four hours between arrival in accident and emergency and admission, transfer or discharge for Brighton and Sussex university hospitals national health service trust, Portsmouth hospitals NHS trust, Royal West Sussex NHS trust and Worthing and Southlands hospitals NHS trust for each of the last three years for which data is available.
	
		
			  Organisation  Total attendances (all A&E types)  Percentage of patients spending under four hours between arrival in A&E and admission, transfer or discharge (all A&E types)  Number of patients spending over four hours between arrival in A&E and admission, transfer or discharge(all A&E types) 
			  Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS
			 2003-04 112,695 82.6 19,556 
			 2004-05 120,463 94.8 6,279 
			 2005-06 124,386 93.8 7,651 
			 
			  Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust
			 2003-04 125,227 87.1 16,165 
			 2004-05 129,790 95.0 6,454 
			 2005-06 133,503 98.6 1,851 
			 
			  Royal West Sussex NHS Trust
			 2003-04 47,948 93.0 3,361 
			 2004-05 48,344 97.0 1,449 
			 2005-06 48,868 98.7 633 
			 
			  Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust
			 2003-04 56,842 91.0 5,128 
			 2004-05 61,333 97.0 1,827 
			 2005-06 62,026 98.1 1,196 
			  Note: The first full financial year during which trusts were required to meet 98 per cent. was 2005-06.  Source: Department of Health dataset QMAE.

Abortions

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the merits of reducing the time limit for abortions under the Abortion Act 1967.

Caroline Flint: It has long been the parliamentary convention that proposals for changes in the law on abortion have come from Back-Bench Members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes. The Government believe this should still be the case. It is therefore a matter for Parliament to decide whether the current time limit should be changed. The Government have no plans to change the law on abortion.

Abortions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed on pregnancies of  (a) under nine weeks,  (b) nine to 12 weeks,  (c) 13 and 16 weeks,  (d) 17 to 19 weeks,  (e) 20 weeks,  (f) 21 weeks,  (g) 22 weeks,  (h) 23 weeks and (i) 24 weeks and over in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of abortions, by gestation, residents, England and Wales, 2001-05 
			  Gestation weeks  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Under nine 75,501 74,188 79,079 85,605 99,934 
			 Nine to 12 79,368 79,542 79,370 76,924 66,547 
			 13 to 16 14,724 15,064 15,357 15,454 13,373 
			 17 to 19 3,994 4,264 4,849 4,518 3,925 
			 20 740 782 783 814 925 
			 21 723 730 779 778 700 
			 22 698 712 699 735 539 
			 23(1) 515 533 530 463 336 
			 24 and over 101 117 136 124 137 
			 Total 176,364 175,932 181,582 185,415 186,416 
			 (1) Includes 24 weeks and zero days gestation.

Acinetobactor Baumannii

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the  (a) impact and  (b) spread of acinetobactor baumannii in hospitals; whether a new strain has been imported from Iraq; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Microbiology laboratories in England, Wales and Northern Ireland voluntarily report bloodstream isolates of Acinetobacter species to the Health Protection Agency.
	The numbers of A. baumannii bloodstream infections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland reported in the past five years are shown.
	
		
			   Number of infections 
			 2001 233 
			 2002 289 
			 2003 323 
			 2004 340 
			 2005 371 
			  Source:Health Protection Agency(1) 
		
	
	Part of the increase in cases of A. baumannii reflects the increase in the proportion of cases of acinetobacter bloodstream infections in which the organism has been fully identified to species level (51 per cent. in 2001, 62 per cent. in 2005). A. baumannii is one of the less difficult species to identify and both this and clinical concern have probably contributed to increased reporting.
	Two multi-resistant clones of A. baumannii (Southeast clone, OXA-23 Clone 1) have affected hospitals in the United Kingdom in the past few years. Both clones have been identified in about 40 hospitals, predominantly in the London area and in south-east England(2,3).
	The HPA has advised hospitals to implement urgently robust infection control measures to prevent spread of these clones, and is currently undertaking an analysis of outcomes, in order to identify optimum treatment for those patients who become infected(4).
	A multi-resistant strain of A. baumannii, known as the T strain, has been isolated from casualties returning to the United Kingdom from Iraq(5 )but the exact source has not been identified. The T strain has also been isolated from US casualties from Iraq and it is very similar to the Southeast clone.
	(1) Acinetobacter spp bacteraemia in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland: 2001 to 2005 Communicable Disease Report (CDR) Weekly 2006; 16 (42) 19 October 2006.
	(2) JF Turton, ME Kaufmann, M Warner et al. A prevalent, multiresistant clone of Acinetobacter baumanii in Southeast England. Journal of Hospital Infection 2004; 58: 170-179.
	(3) JM Coelho, JF Turton, ME Kaufman et al. Occurrence of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumanii clones at multiple hospitals in London and Southeast England. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2006; 44: 3623-3627.
	(4) Working Party Guidance on the Control of multi-resistant Acinetobacter Outbreaks. www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/acinetobacter_b/guidance.htm.
	(5) JF Turton, ME Kaufmann, MJ Gill et al. Comparison of Acinetobacter baumanii isolates from the United Kingdom and the United States that were associated with repatriated casualties of the Iraq conflict. Journal of Clinical Microbiology 2006; 44: 2630-2634.

Acute Medical Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will investigate whether the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS trust followed appropriate codes of practice in considering complaints presented by local people on the recent consultation process on acute medical services provision.

Rosie Winterton: A final decision on proposed changes to the provision of health services provided by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust will be made shortly by the boards of the hospital trust and of the Cumbria and North Lancashire primary care trusts. This decision will then be considered by the overview and scrutiny committees of Cumbria and Lancashire county councils. The OSC has the power to refer the matter to the Secretary of State for Health if it believes that consultation has been inadequate or that it is not in the interests of the health service.

Acute Medical Services

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will urge the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust to reverse its decision to reduce staff by 90 posts until the conclusion of its acute medical services review.

Rosie Winterton: The decision to reduce the number of posts at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust has been taken in order to return the trust to financial balance and is not connected to the review of acute medical services. The trust board is responsible for taking these matters forward working in conjunction with its primary care trust partners and NHS North West.

Alzheimer's

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence that from 22 November people with Alzheimer's disease should no longer be prescribed Alzheimer's drugs on the NHS in the early and late stages of the disease.

Ivan Lewis: Between 11 to 26 October 2006, the Department received 115 letters regarding the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's appraisal of drugs for the treatment of people with Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the clinical benefits of Alzheimer's drugs at each stage of the disease; and what estimate she has made of the cost of such drugs at each stage.

Ivan Lewis: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not yet published its final revised guidance to the national health service on drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. I understand that this guidance will be published on 22 November 2006.

Asbestos-related Cancer

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on medicines for people affected by asbestos-related cancer in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by type of drug.

Rosie Winterton: Information on spending on individual treatments for cancer is not collected centrally.
	Spending on cancer generally has increased: £3.4 billion was spent on cancer services in 2003-04 and this increased to around £3.8 billion in 2004-05.

Assisted Suicide/Voluntary Euthanasia

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations she has received since July 2006 from  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses and  (c) other health care professions in (i) support of and (ii) opposition to (A) assisted suicide and (B) voluntary euthanasia; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many times her Department has consulted  (a) formally and  (b) informally on end-of-life decision making since June 2006; if she will list the stakeholders who have made representations to her Department on end-of-life issues during this period; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: We have had 72 letters and e-mails from professionals, the public and organisations since July 2006 on end-of-life issues expressing a wide range of views and opinions. Ministers have held recent meetings with the Archbishop of Westminster and with Dignity in Dying during which issues including end-of-life issues were discussed.

Audiology Services

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what funding has been made available to each NHS trust to transfer patients from an analogue hearing aid to a digital hearing aid;
	(2)  what assessments she has made of increasing the use of registered hearing aid dispensers to improve access to digital hearing aids; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: From 2000 to 2005, funding of £125 million for the provision of digital hearing aids was ring-fenced through the modernising hearing aid services programme.
	In 2005-06, funding for digital hearing aids was given to individual primary care trusts that had the authority to make decisions about the allocation of resources for audiology services according to the needs of the populations they serve.
	In 2006-07, the Department allocated NHS central revenue budgets on 25 July 2006. This amounted to a total allocation of £5.5 billion across all the strategic health authorities and is the aggregate value of all the individual allocations from many different budgets, including audiology. It is the responsibility of SHAs to reach agreement with their local NHS trusts and PCTs over the allocation of these resources to best meet local need. In addition, capital allocations for audiology services in 2006-07 amounted to £26 million.
	A partnership between the Department of Health, The Royal National Institute for the Deaf and the audiology professional bodies has developed a new four-year BSc (Hons) in audiology. This will help to address the national shortage of audiologists; currently there are 348 audiology students on eight BSc audiology courses.
	The public-private partnership (PPP) is proving to be very successful and has recently been extended to March 2007. The latest data for October 2006 shows that about 50,000 patients have completed pathways through PPP. NHS trusts benefit from the increased capacity, competitive pricing and quality of service provision available through the PPP.
	In order to provide digital hearing aids at an affordable cost to the NHS, contracts have been negotiated by the NHS Procurement and Supply Agency with certain manufacturers. NHS audiologists can choose from a range of aids on contract for different types and levels of hearing loss. This enables the NHS to treat more patients from the funds available.

Bowel Cancer

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been screened for bowel cancer under the national bowel cancer screening programme since its inception.

Rosie Winterton: Over 6,900 people have been screened since the start of the national bowel cancer screening programme.
	The bowel cancer screening programme is an ambitious project, and one of the first of its kind in Europe. When fully implemented, it will detect around 3,000 bowel cancers every year. We are committed to implementing this important programme.

Breast Cancer

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is on the screening of women aged 70 and above for breast cancer; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: There is currently insufficient evidence for inviting women aged over 70 for screening, but research is underway for the advisory committee on breast cancer screening. A final report is due in the next few weeks, and the committee will advise us on a way forward.
	Women aged over 70 are offered three-yearly screening on request. Those who have already participated in the programme should be informed of this right after the age of 70.
	We have collaborated with Age Concern to produce the leaflet, "Over 70? You are still entitled to breast screening". The leaflet is widely available in general practitioner surgeries, health centres, breast screening units and Age Concern outlets.

Breast Cancer

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are taken  (a) to identify women at genetic risk from breast cancer and  (b) to raise awareness of the genetic risk of that cancer.

Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published clinical guidance in May 2004 (updated October 2006 to reflect new evidence) on "The classification and care of women at risk of familial breast cancer in primary, secondary and tertiary care". This provides clear guidance to health professionals on how to identify and manage patients who are, or are concerned that they may be, at increased risk of developing breast cancer because of their family history. The guidance has raised awareness among health professionals of the need to consider the possibility of genetic risk in women with a family history of the disease.
	The Department is also currently jointly funding, with Macmillan Cancer Support, pilot services in seven sites, for people at risk of, or concerned about, familial cancer. The model offers a continuum of advice and care involving primary care, local cancer services and specialised genetic and cancer services to provide consistent management of individuals in the appropriate setting according to their level of risk. These aim to provide better, more patient-focused services for those concerned about their inherited risk of developing cancer by ensuring health care professionals along the patient pathway have relevant information to support and inform patients.

Cancer Drugs

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the use of  (a) quality adjusted life year measures and  (b) cost per life year gained when assessing cancer medicines.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 1 November 2006
	No such guidance has been issued to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE's appraisal methods are set out in its methods guide published in April 2004 and available on NICE's website at www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=201973.
	As part of NICE's normal business, its technology appraisal process and methodology is subject to periodic review which includes a public consultation. NICE's appraisal process was last subject to such a review in 2003-04, and I understand that NICE will be undertaking a further scheduled review next year including a public consultation stage.

Chronic Disease

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the merits of an NHS credit for patients with chronic diseases.

Ivan Lewis: The Department has made no such assessment.

CIDP

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State forHealth what representations she has received from  (a) patients and  (b) other interested parties on the availability of intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradioculoneuropathy (CIDP); whether she intends to ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to undertake a technology appraisal of intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of CIDP; what steps she is taking to ensure patientshave access to intravenous immunoglobulin for the treatment of CIDP; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We have received one recent email from a Guillain-Barre syndrome support group regarding access to intravenous immunoglobulin treatment for those living with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP).
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence can undertake technology appraisals only for treatments licensed in the United Kingdom. Currently there are no intravenous immunoglobulin drugs licensed for the treatment of CIDP.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts, working with local health professionals, to ensure all patients have access to the most suitable drugs and treatments for their disease. This may include the use of medications 'off-licence' if considered appropriate.

Clostridium Difficile

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action her Department is taking to prevent the spread of  clostridium difficile in  (a) hospitals and  (b) the community; what representations she has received from (i) members of the public and (ii) hon. Members on this issue; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: We are actively working with the national health service to help them improve control of  clostridium difficile and have made it clear that this is an important public health issue.
	In December 2005, the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer reminded the NHS of the importance of this infection, listed the key actions for its control and highlighted the guidance available. The current guidance is on the Health Protection Agency website at www.hp.org.uk and we have commissioned the HPA to review and update this national guidance. A new high impact intervention protocol on  clostridium difficile disease was added to "Saving lives: a delivery programme to reduce healthcare associated infections including MRSA" in June 2006, and this tool will help the NHS reduce the number of infections. In addition, we will be introducing quarterly publication of mandatory  clostridium difficile surveillance data as more rapid feedback of results will help performance.
	However, controlling this infection requires appropriate management and clinical governance systems. This will be addressed by the code of practice for the prevention and control of health care associated infection developed under the Health Act 2006 which was published on 1 October 2006.
	A range of correspondence from the public and hon. Members on this issue has been received.

Community Hospitals

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 5 July 2006,  Official Report, column 819, on community hospitals, how many community hospitals in the Thames Valley strategic health authority area are based in Victorian workhouse facilities.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not held centrally.

Consanguinity

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she gives to general practitioners on the advice they offer to patients who are in an at risk category on the issue of consanguinity.

Andy Burnham: None. In general, guidance on issues of practice is a matter for the appropriate professional or regulatory bodies. In addition, local national health service organisations may decide to issue guidance to help practitioners deal with issues which are of particular relevance to their local population.
	The Human Genetics Commission supports the need for proper provision of education and information about marriage within a kin-ship group. This should entail access to counselling and support, preferably in the individual's or couple's preferred language, and a no-blame approach that enables at-risk couples to come forward for testing. Those wanting specific advice on their individual risk should consult a clinical geneticist or genetic counsellor in their local NHS regional genetics centre.
	From next year the curriculum for trainee general practitioners will include learning objectives to equip them to refer patients at risk of genetic conditions appropriately and to appreciate the importance of considering a patient's cultural and religious background and beliefs concerning inheritance in providing care. These have been developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners in partnership with the NHS national genetics education and development centre, an initiative funded by the Department to identify health care practitioners' genetics educational needs and encourage the integration of genetics into pre- and post- registration courses and continuing professional development.

Continuing Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1209W, on continuing care, when she expects to publish  (a) her Department's response to the consultation on the draft national framework for continuing care and  (b) the final national framework for continuing care;
	(2)  whether all patients in receipt of NHS continuing care in those strategic health authorities which are operating multiple eligibility criteria will continue to be eligible for NHS continuing care after the SHA in which they are resident has amalgamated the criteria.

Ivan Lewis: All strategic health authorities have recently reviewed their criteria to ensure their legal compliance. Therefore, where a SHA is operating multiple eligibility criteria the existing legal basis for the provision of NHS continuing health care will remain the same regardless of which criteria is used. We would not anticipate a change in an individual's eligibility following the merger of the SHAs as long as their assessed health care needs have not changed.
	The public consultation on the national framework for NHS continuing health care closed on 22 September. We have had a large number of responses to the consultation which we are currently collating and analysing. We will publish our response as soon as this process is complete, and it will set out the timetable for implementation of the framework.

Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to sign the 1997 Council of Europe Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine.

Rosie Winterton: The UK has not yet signedthe European Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine. The UK supported the development of the convention, but domestic policy on many of the issues in the convention has been developing rapidly since the convention was opened for signature in 1997 and it covers a wide range of complex ethical and legal issues where domestic policy is still to be resolved. These matters will need to be concluded before the Government are in a position to consider signing and ratifying the convention.

Dentistry

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in the Shropshire Primary Care Trust area have  (a) signed,  (b) disputed and  (c) refused to sign the new dental contracts.

Rosie Winterton: Management information on the number of contracts signed, signed in dispute and rejected in Shropshire PCT area by 1 April 2006 shows that of the contracts offered, 64 were signed and eight rejected. Of the 64 contracts signed, 55 were signed in dispute. Three of these disputed contracts are now settled and discussions continue on the remaining contract. The information on disputes is updated through monthly reports and is available on the Department's website on www.performance.doh.gov.uk/dental_contracts.
	For Shropshire PCT, rejected contracts represent 11,256 units of dental activity. This was 2.6 per cent. of the total UDAs associated with all the contracts the PCT offered in April. The latest information shows that as at the end of August, the PCT had re-commissioned a total of 11,411 UDAs.
	A contract may be for an individual dentist or a practice.

Dentistry

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) adults and  (b) children have been registered as NHS patients with dental practices in the Shropshire primary care trust area in each year since 1996.

Rosie Winterton: The number of adults and children using general dental services and personal dental services registered within Shropshire County PCT during the period 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Shropshire county PCT 
			   Adults  Children  Total 
			 1997 105,477 38,897 144,374 
			 1998 88,612 39,178 127,790 
			 1999 78,345 40,523 118,868 
			 2000 77,408 40,622 118,030 
			 2001 74,805 39,987 114,792 
			 2002 79,565 40,748 120,313 
			 2003 70,656 39,423 110,079 
			 2004 77,263 40,998 118,261 
			 2005 76,574 40,952 117,526 
			 2006 90,688 43,243 133,931 
			  Notes: 1. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. PCT and strategic health authority areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory. 2. The data in this report are based on NHS dentists on PCT lists. These details were passed on to the Business Services Authority who paid dentists based on activity undertaken. A dentist can provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the PCT. In some cases, a NHS dentist may appear on a PCT list but not perform any NHS work in that period. Most NHS dentists do some private work. The data do not take into account the proportion of NHS work undertaken by dentists.  3. PDS schemes had varying registration periods. To ensure comparability with corresponding GDS data, PDS registrations are estimated using "proxy registrations", namely the number of patients seen by PDS practices in the previous 15 months. PDS proxy registrations were not estimated for periods before September 2003—actual registrations were used before this date. 4. Data for 2003 and earlier do not include those PDS schemes that do not have any registrations, for example dental access centres, and is therefore not directly comparable with later data. 5. The boundaries used are as at 31 March 2006. 6. The latest information available for registration data covering the time series 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006 has been published by The Information Centre for health and social care. "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006" ISBN 1-84636-073-0.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority. 
		
	
	The previous system of patient registration does not operate under the new regulations. Information will be available in due course via the NHS BSA on the numbers of patients who receive care or treatment from national health service primary care dentists on one or more occasions within a given period of time. This will provide a measure that is broadly similar to that of patient registration under the former system of GDS. We expect the first information to be available later in the year.

Dentistry

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what mechanisms are in place for action against dentists who encourage patients to switch to private dental health insurance schemes without informing them of their entitlement to NHS treatment;
	(2)  what steps she is taking to ensure that patients are kept informed about their entitlement to treatment by an NHS dentist;
	(3)  if she will monitor the number of patients switching from NHS dentists to private dental health insurance schemes; and if she will ensure that those who do so are aware of their entitlement to NHS treatment.

Rosie Winterton: If a dentist holds a national health service contract, misleading a patient about the range of treatments available is a breach of that contract. Where primary care trusts have evidence that a dentist has misled patients in this way there are a range of possible actions culminating potentially in termination of the dentist's NHS contract.
	The General Dental Council's guidance "Maintaining Standards" requires dentists, whether providing NHS services or not, to make clear to patients the nature of the contract and in particular whether the patient is being accepted for private or NHS treatment. Non-compliance with these standards potentially puts a dentist's GDC registration at risk.
	Information for patients about NHS treatment and eligibility is widely available. Local information is held by each PCT. Many also run help lines dedicated to advising callers on how to access NHS dental services locally. At national level, NHS Direct can give callers information on their nearest dental practice offering NHS treatment. Patients can also access this information on line at NHS.UK.
	There are no plans to monitor the numbers of patients using private dental care. As with private medical care, this is a matter for the individual. However, access to NHS dental treatment is monitored. The first information following the reforms on the number of people accessing NHS dental services is expected to be available later this year.

Dentistry

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts have refused to allow dentists operating under  (a) the new general dental services contract and  (b) the new personal dental services agreement to maintain children-only lists.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

Dentistry

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many missed dental appointments there were in  (a) England and  (b) each primary care trust area in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.

Dentistry

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dental patients were admitted under band 4 urgent treatment in each dental surgery in the greater Peterborough primary care partnership area in the 12 months prior to April 2006; how many have been so admitted since April 2006 in each case; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The separate band for urgent courses of treatment is a feature of the new NHS dental contracts introduced on 1 April 2006 and data are therefore only available for the current financial year. Data are available at primary care trust level. The numbers of urgent courses of treatment so far reported and processed for the two Peterborough PCTs are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Courses of treatment processed by treatment band, as at April to June 2006 
			Number 
			 5AF North Peterborough PCT 817 
			 SAG South Peterborough PCT 47 
			  Total 864 
			  Notes: 1. The postcode data of the dental practice division was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. PCT areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory. 2. The data in this report are based on NHS dentists listed on a contract between a PCT and provider. These details were passed on to the BSA who paid dentists based on activity undertaken. A dentist can provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses or has agreed with the PCT. Most NHS dentists do some private work.  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care. NHS Business Services Authority.

Dentistry

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is on NHS dentists advising patients that a clinically necessary treatment is not available under the NHS with a view to obtaining the agreement of a patient to have private treatment.

Rosie Winterton: If a dentist holds a national health service contract, misleading a patient about the range of treatments available is a breach of that contract. Where primary care trusts have evidence that a dentist has misled patients in this way, there are a range of possible actions culminating potentially in termination of the dentist's NHS contract.
	The General Dental Council's guidance "Maintaining Standards" requires dentists, whether providing NHS services or not, to make clear to patients the nature of the contract and in particular whether the patient is being accepted for private or NHS treatment. Non-compliance with these standards potentially puts a dentist's GDC registration at risk.

Diabetes

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) adults and  (b) children have been (i) diagnosed with and (ii) treated for diabetes in the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of children and adults with diabetes is not available in the exact form requested. The following information is available for diagnosed diabetes.
	Estimates of the number of people aged 16 and over with doctor-diagnosed diabetes is available from the annual health survey for england. The most reliable estimates are for 1998 and 2003 when the survey concentrated on cardiovascular disease and these are as follows:
	
		
			  People aged 16 and over with doctor-diagnosed diabetes in England 
			   Number 
			 1998 1,070,000 
			 2003 1,550,000 
		
	
	The health survey for England estimated that in 2003, around 90 per cent. of those with doctor-diagnosed diabetes had type two diabetes(1).
	The number of patients diagnosed with diabetes identified by general practitioner practices in England in 2004-05 was 1.76 million people(2). This is the first year of data from this source. Figures are not available for type one and type two diabetes separately.
	The number of patients diagnosed with diabetes identified by GP practices in England in 2005-06 was 1.89 million people(3). Figures are not available for type one and type two diabetes separately.
	Information on all diagnoses count of finished consultant episodes for diabetes in national health service hospitals, England 1997-98 to 2004-05 is provided in the following table. It is difficult to accurately quantify hospital activity that is directly related to diabetes as all persons admitted with diabetes have it recorded in their diagnoses, irrespective of whether that was the reason for their admission. Conversely, a significant number of hospital admission may result from diabetes co-morbidity but never be recorded as diabetes related.
	 Sources:
	(1) Self-reported prevalence estimates published in 2003 health survey for England.
	(2) 2004-05 quality and outcomes framework data published by the information centre for health and social care.
	(3) 2005-06 quality and outcomes framework data published by the information centre for health and social care.
	
		
			  All diagnoses count of finished consultant episodes for diabetes NHS hospitals, England, 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			   Adults (18+)  Children (<18)  Unknown  Total 
			 2004-05 815,036 13,690 395 829,121 
			 2003-04 717,060 13,131 517 730,708 
			 2002-03 653,383 12,966 1,003 667,352 
			 2001-02 572,477 12,162 1,132 585,771 
			 2000-01 530,064 11,869 1,934 543,867 
			  Source:  Hospital episode statistics, the information centre for health and social care

Disability Discrimination Act

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of how many and what proportion of NHS buildings comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: Individual national health service organisations are responsible for making all the necessary arrangements to ensure compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005.
	No information on the compliance of NHS buildings with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 is collected centrally.

Fluoridation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has put in place to ensure accuracy in the information provided by the national fluoride information service.

Rosie Winterton: The national fluoride information centre is an academically independent unit that provides objective information on all aspects of fluorides and fluoridation. It does not lobby in favour of or against water fluoridation. Based at the university of Manchester, all information it provides is derived from scientific literature and has been reviewed by independent scientific experts before being placed on its website. We are therefore confident of the accuracy of the information provided.
	The centre also has an independent advisory board that reviews the NFIC's activity. This board includes officers from the Department.

Fluoridation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider a further study to update the data gained from the York study on fluoridation.

Rosie Winterton: We do not consider that a further study is necessary to update the data gained from the York study on fluoridation. In the light of the findings of the York report, the Department commissioned the Medical Research Council to consider what further research was required to improve knowledge about fluoridation and health.
	In 2002, the MRC published the report of its working group and since then a number of its research recommendations either have been completed or are currently being undertaken. In addition, the NFIC, in association with the oral health unit for England, is developing scientific protocols to monitor all aspects of water fluoridation through research following the York review guidelines.

Fluoridation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) strategic health authorities,  (b) primary care trusts and  (c) other health bodies have contacted the Department giving notice that they are investigating the advantages of fluoridating their water supply; and if she will name each such body.

Rosie Winterton: We are aware that North West strategic health authority and South Central SHA are currently exploring the feasibility of fluoridating water supplies in their areas in consultation with their local water undertakers.
	Greater Manchester primary care trust and Southampton PCT have asked their respective SHAs to investigate the feasibility of fluoridating their water supplies.

General Dental Council

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to the General Dental Council on the conduct of consultation exercises; and what assessment she has made of the conduct of their consultation exercise on registration draft rules.

Rosie Winterton: The GDC is independent of Government. The conduct of their consultation exercises is a matter for them, and not the Government.

General Healthcare Group

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total value is of contracts her Department has held with General Healthcare Group Limited in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: The Department held a contract for orthopaedic procedures with BMI, a subsidiary of General Healthcare Group Limited, which ran from July 2005 to March 2006. The value of the contract was approximately £22 million.

Glucose Intolerance

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that rosiglitazone is freely available on the NHS to those who suffer from impaired glucose tolerance.

Rosie Winterton: Rosiglitazone is licensed for the treatment of type two diabetes mellitus. It is not licensed for impaired glucose tolerance or for the prevention of diabetes.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published recommendations in 2003 on the use of glitazones for the treatment of type two diabetes. NICE is currently reviewing this guidance as part of a review of all of its type two diabetes guidance which is due to be published in February 2008.

Goats' Milk

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds the decision to prohibit the sale of goats' milk infant formula was taken; and why the implementation of the prohibition was delayed until March 2007.

Caroline Flint: European Union and United Kingdom legislation does not allow goats' milk proteins to be used in infant formula. We are working with businesses to ensure that products on the UK market comply with EU and UK legislation to an appropriate time scale.

GP Budgets

Kenneth Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether under general practitioner practice-based commissioning, GPs will be able to retain savings made against their budgets to be put towards patient services.

Andy Burnham: All practices will receive an indicative budget from the primary care trust, covering an agreed scope of health care services as partof the implementation plan for practice-based commissioning. Practices that under spend against their indicative budget will have access to the resources freed up. For 2006-07 we have recommended that individual practices should be entitled to access and redirect at least 70 per cent. of any freed-up resource.

Health Expenditure

Michael Jabez Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure per head of population was in the constituency of Hastings and Rye in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: Expenditure data are not normally available at constituency level as this rarely coincides with the boundaries of individual health bodies. Data at individual health body level are retained for seven years and therefore data for 1996-97 are not now available. Expenditure per head is derived from historical audited accounts, therefore, data are not available for 2006-07.
	The figures for 1997-98 and 2004-05 for Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Expenditure per head in Surrey and Sussex SHA area (£) 
			 1997-98 618.46 
			 2004-05 1,181.31

Health Protection Agency

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Health Protection Agency on  (a) the use of air cleaning technology and  (b) other measures to reduce hospital acquired infections.

Andy Burnham: The rapid review panel was convened by the HPA at the request of the Department of Health. The panel provides assessment of new and novel equipment, materials and other products or protocols that may be of value to the national health service in improving hospital infection control and reducing health care associated infections (HCAIs). This includes air decontamination products.
	To date the panel has published 170 reports on its website at hwww.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/rapid_review/new_reports.htm 24 of these are on air decontamination products. However, there is little evidence to show that air plays a significant role in the transmission of most HCAIs.
	The Department works closely with the HPA through not just the RRP, and the HPA is actively involved in our comprehensive programme to combat HCAIs.

Health Statistics (Hartlepool/Tees Valley)

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of eligible women in  (a) Hartlepool constituency and  (b) the Tees Valley sub-region had (i) breast cancer and (ii) cervical cancer screening procedures in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many women from the top decile of deprived wards in  (a) Hartlepool constituency and  (b) the Tees Valley sub-region did not take up the offer of screening for (i) breast cancer and (ii) cervical cancer in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The available information requested is in the table:
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Hartlepool primary care trust  County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority( 1) 
			   Breast screening coverage( 2)  Cervical screening coverage( 3)  Breast screening coverage  Cervical screening coverage 
			 1995-96 n/a n/a 69.1 89.5 
			 1996-97 n/a n/a 67.2 88.9 
			 1997-98 n/a n/a 66.2 88.9 
			 1998-99 n/a n/a 68.7 85.9 
			 1999-2000 n/a n/a 72.8 85.3 
			 2000-01 n/a n/a 72.7 88.9 
			 2001-02 77.2 81.3 78.4 82.8 
			 2002-03 56.4 80.8 73.0 82.1 
			 2003-04 76.1 80.2 69.4 81.5 
			 2004-05 54.8 79.3 73.7 80.8 
			 (1 )Tees Health Authority from 1995-96 to 2000-01. (2) Breast screening coverage is the proportion of women resident who have had a test result at least once in the previous three years. (3) Cervical screening coverage is the percentage of women in a population eligible for screening at a given point in time whose last test producing an adequate result was less than five years ago.  Source: Statistical Bulletin: Cervical Screening Programme, England: 1995-96 to 2004-05 and Statistical Bulletin: Breast Screening Programme, England: 1995-96 to 2004-05 
		
	
	Statistics on how many women from the top decile of deprived wards in Hartlepool and the Tees Valley who undertook breast and cervical screening are not held centrally.

Healthcare-related Infections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her most recent estimate is of  (a) MRSA and  (b) clostridium difficile rates per 1,000 bed days in NHS hospitals (i) in England and (ii) broken down by NHS trust.

Andy Burnham: The latest data were published by the Health Protection Agency in July 2006(1). The overall rate of methicillin resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteraemias in England for October 2005 to March 2006 was 0.17 per 1,000 bed days, and was unchanged from the rate for April to September 2005(1).
	The data for each acute NHS trust in England for each six-month period from April 2001 to March 2006 are also published(2).
	Rates of  Clostridium difficile associated disease in people aged over 65 years were also published in July(1) and the overall rate for England in 2005 was 0.22 per 1,000 bed days.
	The rates for each acute NHS trust in England were also published(3).
	 Sources
	(1) Mandatory surveillance of health care associated infections report 2006:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/mandatory_report_2006.htm
	(2) MRSA bacteraemia six-monthly data April 2001 to March 2006:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/MRSA_for_pririt.xls
	(3) Clostridium difficile yearly data January 2004 to December 2005:
	www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/Clostridium_difficile_for_print.xls

Healthcare-related Infections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the annual financial cost of hospital acquired infections.

Andy Burnham: This data is not available. A commonly used estimate is that hospital acquired infections cost the NHS £1 billion a year(1).
	 Source:
	(1) R. Plowman, N. Graves, M. Griffin, J. A. Roberts, A. V. Swan, B. Cookson, L. Taylor. "The socio-economic burden of hospital acquired infection". Public Health Laboratory Service 1999.

Hospital Chaplains

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what her policy is on the employment of hospital chaplains in NHS hospitals; and what guidance her Department offers to local NHS trusts on the role of hospital chaplains;
	(2)  if she will examine the proposals to reduce the chaplaincy service at the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS trust; and if she make an assessment of their impact on the work of the trust and its service to patients and their families.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is committed to the principle of ensuring that patients and staff in the NHS have access to spiritual care, whatever faith or belief system they follow.
	NHS trusts are responsible for delivering religious and spiritual care in a way that meets the diverse needs of their patients. Issues concerning staffing chaplaincy services in hospital are a matter for local determination. However, we expect NHS trusts to adhere to guidance "NHS Chaplaincy: Meeting the Religious and Spiritual Needs of Patients and Staff".

Hospital Chaplains

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to answer questions 92450 and 92451, on hospital chaplaincy, tabled by the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire on 6 October.

Rosie Winterton: Answers have been given today.

Human Genetics Commission

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the Chairman of the Human Genetics Commission is; what relevant specialist qualifications he or she holds; what his or her career has been to date; where the post was advertised; how many persons applied for the post; how many were short listed for interview; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The current chair of the Human Genetics Commission is Baroness Helena Kennedy QC. Baroness Kennedy is a practicing barrister and broadcaster, whose work has included a focus on civil liberties and wider ethical and legal issues. She has a high public profile together with considerable experience in chairing advisory committees and producing reports on sensitive issues. A full register of Baroness Kennedy's interests can be found at www.hgc.gov.uk.
	Advertisements inviting applications for Human Genetics Commission membership and chair posts were placed in the national press in 1999. Seven applications for chair were received and three candidates were shortlisted for interview.

Kernicterus

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether an understanding of Kernicterus forms part of the  (a) pre-qualification training of and  (b) annual post qualification refresher courses for midwives.

Rosie Winterton: The content and standard of training for midwives is a matter for the Nursing and Midwifery Council and relevant higher education institution in collaboration with the Royal College of Midwives and other stakeholders. The Department does not provide direction on the content of these courses.
	Midwives are obliged to undertake continuing professional development, and are required to declare they have met the Nursing and Midwifery Council's continuing professional development standard on a three-yearly basis in order to maintain their registration.

Local Involvement Networks

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether local involvement networks will have the formal power to refer their concerns to  (a) the local primary care trust,  (b) the local overview and scrutiny committee,  (c) the health service regulator,  (d) her and  (e) any other body.

Rosie Winterton: Details of the powers we proposed to give to local involvement networks are being finalised following the responses we received to "A stronger local voice", and will be published shortly.

Local Involvement Networks

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether local involvement networks will monitor and inspect  (a) the delivery of NHS services and  (b) the structure of the market in healthcare.

Rosie Winterton: One of the roles of local involvement networks (LINks) will be to monitor the commissioning and provision of national health service services. We are currently considering what powers LINks will need to enable them to fulfil this role.

Local Involvement Networks

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether patient forums will continue to exist following  (a) the abolition of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health and  (b) the establishment of local involvement networks.

Rosie Winterton: It is our intention, subject to the passage of primary legislation, that patients forums will not continue to exist following the abolition of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health and the establishment of local involvement networks.

Macular Degeneration

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what treatments are provided by the NHS for age-related neovascular macular degeneration.

Ivan Lewis: All primary care trusts are funding photodynamic therapy treatment for patients with both the wholly classic and predominantly classic forms of age-related macular degeneration.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently carrying out an appraisal of Lucentis and Macugen for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and final guidance is due to be published in August 2007. However, NICE will only publish appraisal guidance on Lucentis if it receives a licence from the European Medicines Agency.
	Where guidance from NICE is not yet available, PCTs are expected to apply local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies. These arrangements should include an assessment of the available evidence.

Macular Degeneration

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are being treated for wet age-related macular degeneration in each health authority area in England.

Rosie Winterton: Those diagnosed with macular disease and treated as in-patients are shown in the table. The table shows the number of in-patient admissions during 2004-05 to national health service hospitals in England for those whose primary diagnosis was degeneration of the macular and posterior pole.
	The data has been produced by former strategic health authority area and reflects NHS hospitals in the area. The numbers do not reflect residents of any one area but will include cross boundary referrals, depending on specialised services commissioning arrangements for each area.
	
		
			  SHA of treatment  Number of patients 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 168 
			 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 16 
			 Essex 59 
			 North West London 18 
			 North Central London 317 
			 North East London 21 
			 South East London 66 
			 South West London * 
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear 54 
			 County Durham and Tees Valley 39 
			 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire 69 
			 West Yorkshire 140 
			 Cumbria and Lancashire 103 
			 Greater Manchester 150 
			 Cheshire and Merseyside 209 
			 Thames Valley 244 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 139 
			 Kent and Medway 40 
			 Surrey and Sussex 336 
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 376 
			 South West Peninsula 176 
			 Dorset and Somerset 319 
			 South Yorkshire 46 
			 Trent 187 
			 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 29 
			 Shropshire and Staffordshire 284 
			 Birmingham and the Black Country 174 
			 West Midlands South 33 
			  Note:  Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with "*" (an asterisk).  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics, The Information Centre for health and social care

Medical Careers

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration her Department has given to deferring the introduction of the modernising medical careers programme; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: We are aware of the views expressed in the media to defer implementation of MMC, a major initiative aimed to improve both patient care and doctor's training. For this reason, it is subject to significant governance processes involving both the Department and the national health service. Although it represents a challenging agenda of work the four United Kingdom health Departments believe that MMC is proceeding satisfactorily and do not consider it necessary to delay it. Deferral now could significantly disadvantage some doctors in training.

Medical Staff Employment Rates

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the percentage employment rate was of newly qualified  (a) nurses,  (b) physiotherapists and  (c) doctors in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the operation of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's national rules scheme for homeopathic medicines.

Andy Burnham: The national rules scheme for homeopathic products was launched on 1 September 2006. It complements current arrangements for the authorisation of homeopathic products used for minor symptoms or conditions within the tradition of homeopathy practised in the United Kingdom.
	Before the introduction of the new scheme, homeopathic products either held product licences of right (PLRs) or were registered under a simplified scheme. PLR licences were issued to all medicinal products on the market at the time that the Medicines Act 1968 was implemented in 1971. Homeopathic PLRs are allowed to carry descriptions of the symptom or condition that the product is used to treat, called indications. In 1992 European Union legislation introduced a simplified scheme for homeopathic products, so-called because the safety and quality of products have to be demonstrated, but there is no requirement to demonstrate efficacy. The simplified scheme is restricted to products for oral and external use and does not allow indications.
	Products authorised under the new national rules scheme will comply with all the requirements placed on conventional medicines, with the exception of those relating to preclinical tests and clinical trials. This will enhance the information available to consumers on homeopathic products authorised under the new scheme while continuing to ensure their safety and quality. The new scheme will also enable products to carry indications for minor symptoms or conditions. In addition, over the next seven years the homeopathic PLRs will be reviewed.

Mesothelioma

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she collects on local prescribing patterns for alimta pemetrexed within the national health service.

Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect data on hospital prescribing centrally. Data are available to the Department from a commercial company about drugs issued in hospitals.
	Full details of the use of Pemetrexed disodium (Alimta) by Strategic health authority cannot be provided under the terms of the agreement with IMS who provide the Department with hospital data.

Methylphenidate

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2093W, on methylphenidate, if she will request that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency take account of the  (a) work and  (b) recommendations of the US Food and Drug Administration on methylphenidate.

Andy Burnham: Methylphenidate is a stimulant drug that is authorised in children over six years of age as part of a comprehensive treatment programme for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Treatment should be under the supervision of a specialist in childhood behavioural disorders. Its safety is closely monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in conjunction with other European regulatory authorities.
	Stimulants such as methylphenidate are recognised to cause cardiovascular adverse effects such as tachycardia or palpitations, (increased or fast heart rate), arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm), changes in blood pressure (usually increased) and angina. There are warnings about these potential risks in the United Kingdom product information for methylphenidate, which also states that these products should not be used in patients with certain heart conditions.
	Concerns have arisen about the risk of serious cardiovascular events (including sudden deaths) in association with stimulant treatment in children and adolescents with structural heart defects. Although it is recognised that some serious heart conditions alone carry an increased risk of sudden death, in the United States the Food and Drug Administration has requested that the product information for stimulant medications, including methylphenidate, be amended to reflect this risk and to advise that they should not be used in those with known serious structural cardiac abnormalities and also to strengthen warnings about the risk of other cardiovascular adverse effects.
	The MHRA, with other European regulatory authorities, has also carefully evaluated the available data relating to the reports of sudden death in children with structural heart defects and taken into account the work of the United States FDA. As a result of these Europe-wide discussions, the product information for methylphenidate is being updated accordingly to advise about serious cardiovascular adverse effects and to recommend that methylphenidate should not be used in children or adolescents with known serious structural cardiac abnormalities. This will result in alignment of UK and European recommendations with those of the FDA.

Methylphenidate

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue guidance to primary care trusts and GP practices that methylphenidate should not be prescribed for children less than six years old.

Andy Burnham: Methylphenidate is only authorised for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children aged six years and over and should only be initiated by or under the supervision of a specialist in childhood behavioural disorders. These restrictions on its use are clearly stated in the summary of product characteristics, which provides prescribing guidance to health care professional, and are also reflected in the British national formulary for children which is distributed on behalf of the Department to all general practices.

Mobile Phones

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what safety assessment her Department has  (a) conducted and  (b) evaluated into potential interference with sensitive medical equipment caused by mobile phone use in hospitals.

Andy Burnham: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) published a detailed study on the effects of mobile phones and other communication equipment on a range of medical devices in its device bulletin DB9702 "Electromagnetic Compatibility of Medical Devices with Mobile Communications", in March 1997—the Medical Devices Agency at that time.
	The advice in the publication DB 9702 has been reviewed on a regular basis by the MHRA since 1997.
	A further bulletin, DB 1999(02) "Emergency Service Radios and Mobile Data Terminal: Compatibility Problems with Medical Devices" was published in May 1999, and addressed the impact of radio communications on the safe use of a range of medical devices.
	An update document, SN 2001(06), was published in March 2001, which covered the potential interference with medical devices by TETRA radio systems employed by the emergency services and media broadcasts from hospital premises.
	In July 2004 guidance on the MHRA website, which referenced DB 9702 and DB 1999(02), advised that health-care providers should actively manage the use of radio frequency spectrum on their own sites, and consider the potential effects of communication equipment on all medical devices.
	The most recent MHRA website advice published is "Frequently asked questions on the use of mobile phones in hospitals". This has links to the other MHRA publications on the effects of mobile phones on medical equipment.
	MHRA's advice is that each hospital trust should conduct its own risk assessment and introduce the necessary controls to protect areas such as intensive treatment units where sensitive equipment is in use. Areas that are generally accessible to members of the public may be suitable for the unrestricted use of mobile phones, and signage should make this clear.

MRSA

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) steps she has taken and  (b) funds she has allocated to tackle MRSA.

Andy Burnham: Tackling methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a priority for Government and the NHS. We have set a target to halve the number of MRSA bloodstream infections by 2008 and each acute trust has its own target. The Department and its partner organisations have developed a range of mutually reinforcing activities that ensure combating the spread of MRSA is embedded in everyday procedures and policies, in particular:
	all acute trusts are signed-up to the "Saving Lives" package of best practice which, if implemented in full, should combat MRSA spread in the acute sector. It is supplemented by the "Essential Steps" initiative, designed for non-acute care settings;
	mandatory MRSA surveillance, which continues to be developed/enhanced;
	the first ever national hand hygiene programme for hospital staff, "cleanyourhands", has progressed to its second year;
	a statutory code of practice which requires national health service bodies to have appropriate management and clinical governance systems in place to deliver effective infection control came into force on 1 October; and
	advice on screening patients at risk is about to be published.
	Additionally, tailored support is available for those trusts in the most challenging positions. Improvement teams will during 2006-07, work with about 50 trusts, so as to help identify those issues that prevent reduction in infections at the local level, and help them develop action plans to speed up and sustain progress.
	The Department does not allocate specific funds to the NHS to tackle MRSA, as this is part of the NHS's mainstream activity. The MRSA/cleaner hospitals programme, which co-ordinates and resources actions and joint working aimed at delivering the target, including the provision of tailored support, spent £1,300,000 in 2005-06 and has been allocated £2,780,000 this year.

Myeloma

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Velcade may be prescribed to those with myeloma; what representations she has received from users of this drug; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: From 1 October 2005 to 25 October 2006, the Department has received 992 letters and emails about Velcade from users of this drug and other interested parties. It would be possible to identify the exact number from users only at disproportionate cost. We have also received two petitions about this drug.
	It is for clinicians, in discussion with patients, to determine treatments for a patient's condition. Treatments that have been positively appraised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) must be funded by primary care trusts within three months of publication of guidance, if the patient concerned is eligible.
	Where NICE guidance is not available, PCTs should continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies. These arrangements should involve an assessment of the available evidence for the technology in question. Funding for such treatments should not be withheld simply because guidance from NICE is not available.

National Carers Strategy

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reviewing the national strategy for carers as set out in the White Paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say"; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: A number of commitments to improve support for carers were set out in the White Paper "Our Health, Our Care, Our Say" which are currently being discussed with national carers' organisations. Work will begin shortly to plan how best to take forward the commitment to update and extend the Prime Minister's strategy for carers, published in 1999.
	Formal discussions have not yet been commenced with other relevant Government Departments but we will be involving them closely in the revision of the strategy along with other key stakeholders.

National Voices Project

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it will be one of the main functions of the national voice for patients being considered by the national voices project to represent the views and concerns of local involvement networks at a national level.

Rosie Winterton: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin is leading work by a number of national patient organisations to develop national voices. In their recent publication, "Are you being heard?", they stated that the project's basic function is to provide a mechanism for existing voices to come together for greater effect on policymaking at national level. The publication also states membership will be open to national organisations in the first instance but could perhaps open up to local organisation and individuals in the future.

NHS (Hertfordshire)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS posts she expects to be lost in North East Hertfordshire in the next 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: This is an issue for the local NHS.

NHS Consultation

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's policy is in respect of strategic health authority and NHS trust consultation with  (a) NHS unions,  (b) the general work force,  (c) patients' groups and  (d) the wider public before services are transferred from one hospital to another.

Rosie Winterton: Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 requires all NHS bodies to involve and consult patients and the public in decisions affecting the operation of services. NHS organisations are also required to consult local authority overview and scrutiny committees on any proposals that represent a substantial service change.
	Individual employing organisations are required under employment legislation to inform and consult staff and staff/union representatives on various issues affecting their own organisations. Each NHS organisation will have its own locally agreed consultation procedures.

NHS Finances

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NHS non-administrative staff budget was in  (a) 1995 and  (b) 2005.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the total expenditure on non-administrative staff by NHS bodies in England in 1994-95 and 2004-05 in cash and real terms.
	
		
			  NHS (England) non-administrative staff expenditure 
			  £ million 
			   In cash terms  In real terms (at 2004-05 prices) 
			 1994-95 12,666 16,296 
			 2004-05 26,562 26,562 
			  Notes: 2004-05 data does not include information relating to NHS foundation trusts. Figures are the total staff costs less the administrative and clerical staff costs reported in annual financial returns.  Source: Financial returns of health authorities, strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts. HM Treasury gross domestic product deflator.

NHS Finances

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been made to the system of NHS resource allocation since 1997.

Andy Burnham: NHS resource allocation is based on the principle of weighted capitation, whereby resources are distributed between areas on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. Since 1997 there have been changes to:
	the areas to which resources are allocated;
	the frequency of allocations;
	the range of services covered;
	the population base; and
	the weighted capitation formula which informs these allocations.
	The changes are set out in the "Resource Allocation: weighted capitation formula" booklets (editions 2-5) which are available in the Library.
	Copies of editions 3-5 can be found on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/allocations

NHS Operations

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS operations were cancelled in Suffolk due to  (a) administrative errors,  (b) lack of beds,  (c) outbreaks of MRSA or other infections,  (d) the lack of correct or clean equipment and  (e) missing notes in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: The information is not held in the format requested. The Department collects data on the number of operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons. The following tables show data for the number of operations cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons for acute trusts in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire areas for the period 2002-03 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Cancelled operations for non-clinical reasons, NHS organisations in England, 2002-03 to 2005-06 
			   2002-03  2003-04 
			   Number of last minute cancellations for non-clinical reasons  Number of patients not admitted within 28 days of cancellation on the day of surgery  Number of last minute cancellations for non-clinical reasons  Number of patients not treated within 28 days of last minute cancellation 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 2,995 526 3,350 383 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 645 189 769 209 
			 Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 179 65 180 17 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 417 130 488 38 
			 James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust 176 28 258 5 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust 662 2 569 25 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 185 1 166 8 
			 Peterborough and Stamford NHS Foundation Trust 253 32 187 0 
			 The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust 284 76 308 79 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 194 3 425 2 
		
	
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			   Number of last minute cancellations for non-clinical reasons  Number of patients not treated within 28 days of last minute cancellation  Number of last minute cancellations for non-clinical reasons  Number of patients not treated within 28 days of last minute cancellation 
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 3,859 505 2,545 208 
			 Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 1,090 382 507 95 
			 Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 168 21 138 2 
			 Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 533 1 384 24 
			 James Paget Healthcare NHS Trust 267 3 226 10 
			 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust 492 24 327 16 
			 Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 159 8 154 5 
			 Peterborough and Stamford NHS Foundation Trust 270 8 298 1 
			 The Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Trust 295 58 236 55 
			 West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust 585 0 275 0 
			  Note: In 2002-03 the number of patients not admitted within 28 days of cancellation on the day of surgery was collected. From 2003-04 onwards, the number of patients not admitted within 28 days of a last minute cancellation was collected.  Source: Department of Health dataset QMCO.

NHS Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual savings would be from increasing the employee contribution rate of the NHS pension scheme by 1 per cent.; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The annual savings to the Exchequer if the employee contribution rate had been increased by 1 per cent in the period 1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006, would have been around £310 million. Under the joint proposals from NHS employers and the NHS trade unions, which are under consultation until 30 November, it has been agreed that there will be a cap on employer contributions.

NHS Redundancies

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of compulsory redundancies in each  (a) trust and  (b) NHS body making such redundancies in each of the next 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS Services (Hertfordshire)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the recruitment and retention of health visitors in Hertfordshire.

Rosie Winterton: No assessment has been made centrally as to the recruitment and retention of health visitors in Hertfordshire, as responsibility falls to local national health service organisations to ensure that they have sufficient staff to ensure that the services that they provide meet the needs of the local populations that they serve.

NHS Training Budgets

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each health authority will spend in 2006-07 on  (a) continuing professional development and  (b) professional enhancement; and what their planned spending is in each of these areas over the next three years.

Rosie Winterton: Continuing professional development needs for national health service staff are determined against local NHS priorities, through appraisal processes and training needs analyses informed by local delivery plans, regulatory bodies' requirements and the needs of the service.
	Access to training is affected by a number of local factors and it would not be practical for the centre to be prescriptive on these.

NICE

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to review the  (a) remit and  (b) scope of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to ensure that they are able adequately to assess the wider benefits to society across (i) health, (ii) social care, (iii) carers and (iv) families; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Department has no plans to review the remit and scope of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. NICE explicitly takes account of publicly funded health and personal social services costs in its appraisals, and also takes account of factors such as benefits to carers where it is appropriate to do so.
	As part of NICE's normal business, its technology appraisal process and methodology is subject to periodic review which includes a public consultation. NICE's appraisal process was last subject to such a review in 2003-04, and I understand that NICE will be undertaking a further scheduled review next year including a public consultation stage.

Ovarian Cancer

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the Calderdale primary care trust in each of the last 10 years; and at which stage of cancer the diagnosis was made in each case.

John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 6 November 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent parliamentary question asking how many women were diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the Calderdale Primary Care Trust in each of the last 10 years; and at which stage of cancer the diagnosis was made in each case. I am replying in her absence.
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2004. Numbers of cases of ovarian cancer for the years 1995 to 2004 for Calderdale Primary Care Trust (PCT) are given in table 1 .
	Stage at diagnosis was introduced in 1993 when the cancer registration minimum data set was established by the Department of Health. There remains much variation in the recording of stage by the regional cancer registries.
	Available information for Calderdale Primary Care Trust (PCT) on the numbers of cases of ovarian cancer by stage of diagnosis for the years 1995 to 2004 are given in table 2 .
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer( 1)  for Calderdale PCT, 1995-2004 
			   1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  1997-2004 
			 Calderdale PCT 20 23 21 17 25 16 30 15 15 16 198 
			 (1) Ovarian cancer is defined as code C56 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10).  Source:  Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of newly diagnosed cases of ovarian cancer( 1)  by tumour stage( 2)  for Calderdale PCT, 1995-2004 
			  Tumour stage  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  1995-2004 
			 I A 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 2 0 0 8 
			 1C 0 3 0 1 1 0 3 2 2 2 14 
			 2A 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 2B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			 2C 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 
			 3C 1 2 0 1 5 3 8 2 0 3 25 
			 3 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 
			 4 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 1 2 2 12 
			 
			 No tumour staging recorded 17 15 20 11 15 9 15 8 10 9 129 
			 No tumour staging recorded (percentage) 85 65 95 65 60 56 50 53 67 56 65 
			 (1) Ovarian cancer is defined as code C56 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10). (2) Tumour staging of ovarian cancer using the FIGO staging method as defined in the Staging Classifications and Clinical Practice Guidelines of Gynaecological Cancers, Second Edition.  Source:  Department of Health, Northern and Yorkshire Cancer Registry and Information Service

Peterborough and Stamford Trust

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the cost to the public purse has been of private sector consultants engaged by Peterborough and Stamford hospitals NHS foundation trust to ameliorate that trust's financial deficit since1 April 2005; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what resources have been made available for bereavement counselling in 2006-07 in the Peterborough and Stamford hospitals NHS foundation trust area; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: These are matters for the chair of Peterborough and Stamford hospitals NHS foundation trust, Dr. Clive Morton OBE. I have written to Dr. Morton informing him of your inquiries. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

PFI

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2099W, on the private finance initiative, what outstanding issues of  (a) affordability and  (b) capacity are preventing a decision on the private finance initiative review by the Treasury of Peterborough and Stamford hospitals NHS foundation trust scheme from being more swiftly expedited; and if she will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The East of England strategic health authority are now considering the full business case for the Peterborough and Stamford NHS Foundation Trust private finance initiative scheme. It is expected that the FBC will be available for the Department to review by the end of the year. Production of an FBC is in the normal course of business and is a step that must be taken by all trusts with PFI schemes in order to transparently demonstrate, among other aspects, that the capacity and affordability assumptions underpinning a scheme are robust. The particular concerns that the FBC will need to address are that the future income generation assumptions from the release of assets consequent on the scheme are sound, and that bed number assumptions are compatible with the economy wide capacity planning being undertaken by the SHA.

Physiotherapists

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new NHS jobs have been created in physiotherapy in  (a) Liverpool,  (b) Wirral and  (c) Cheshire in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. The table shows the number of qualified physiotherapy staff working in the former Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority area.
	
		
			  National health service hospital and community health services: qualified physiotherapy staff as at 30 September 2001 to 2005 
			   Headcount 
			 2001 901 
			 2002 915 
			 2003 942 
			 2004 1,027 
			 2005 1,112 
			  Notes: The Information Centre for health and social care, non-medical workforce census

Physiotherapists

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) research she has carried out and  (b) assessment she has made of the effect of agenda for change on job and career progression opportunities for graduate and junior physiotherapists.

Rosie Winterton: The national health service staff council has the responsibility for monitoring the implementation of agenda for change and the effects on NHS staff. This is carried out through its sub groups which include an equality and diversity group, job evaluation consistency checking group and the knowledge and skills framework group. The Department has carried out no separate research in this area.

Physiotherapists

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many physiotherapist posts there are in the NHS; and what estimate she has made of the number of posts which will be available to new graduate physiotherapists in each of the next three years;
	(2)  how many physiotherapists graduated in each of the last five years; and how many physiotherapist  (a) posts and  (b) vacancies there were in the NHS in each year.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the numberof physiotherapist posts, and the number of physiotherapists who have graduated each year is not collected centrally.
	The three-month vacancy rate, vacancy number and the number of physiotherapy staff for 2006 and in each of the last five years are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Information Centre for Health and Social Care vacancies survey—Three month vacancy rates, number and staff in post for qualified physiotherapy staff in England 
			   Percentage of three month vacancy rate  Number of three month vacancy  Number of staff in post (whole-time equivalent)( 1)  Number of staff in post (headcount)( 1) 
			 2001 5.0 655 12,515 15,608 
			 2002 5.2 715 12,992 16,212 
			 2003 4.7 671 13,586 16,885 
			 2004 4.1 626 14,455 17,922 
			 2005 2.9 464 15,564 19,139 
			 2006 1.1 183 16,291 19,997 
			 (1 )Staff in post data is from the non-medical workforce census as at 30 September previous to the specified year.   Notes: 1. Vacancy data is from the vacancy survey each specified year.  2. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March each specified year.  3. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full time equivalents).  4. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post.  5. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the non-medical workforce census  6. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.  7. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.   Source:  The Information Centre for Health and Social Care Vacancies Survey The Information Centre for Health and Social Care Non-Medical Workforce Census

Radiotherapy

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into radiotherapy damage as a result of radiotherapy treatment.

Andy Burnham: No recent research has been directly commissioned or evaluated by the Department. Research continues in this field to improve cure rates and minimise normal tissue complications. Contributors in the United Kingdom to such continuing research include the National Cancer Research Institute, Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK and the Academic Clinical Oncology Radiotherapy Research Network. Patient safety is a priority for the Department and the national health service.

Severance Packages

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has issued to NHS trusts on the publication of the details of severance packages for chief executives.

Rosie Winterton: Guidance on the publication of remuneration details of senior national health service staff, including chief executives, is included under chapter 2 "Annual Report of the NHS Finance Manual" which is available on the Department's website at: www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/finman.nsf

Sleep Apnoea

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has issued guidance to NHS trusts about their potential liability relating to decisions not to provide continuous positive airways pressure equipment to those patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: No. It is for the NHS locally to commission services for the people they serve, informed by clinical judgment of the actual needs and any advice they have from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE has not yet completed its consideration of continuous positive airway pressure for people with sleep apnoea.

Staffordshire Ambulance Service

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Prime Minister has made of the recent removal of  (a) ResQPOD heart resuscitation equipment from Staffordshire ambulances and  (b) emergency response medicines from Staffordshire ambulance first responders; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: These are local matters for the Staffordshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Stockport NHS Foundation Trust

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the likely outturn expenditure against plans of Stockport NHS Foundation Trust for 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: I am advised by the chairman of Monitor (whose statutory name is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) that Stockport NHS foundation trust has forecast in its annual plan that it will achieve break-even in 2006-07. In the first quarter of 2006-07, the trust was on track to achieve the planned full year out-turn. Both the trust's annual plan and the quarterly monitoring results for the foundation trust sector are publicly available on Monitor's website at www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk.

Strategic Health Authorities

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of recent changes to the training budgets managed by strategic health authorities.

Rosie Winterton: Some strategic health authorities have not yet finalised their education and training budgets following the issue of overall allocations to them in July. We will analyse the outcome of their expenditure in due course.

Strokes

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have had strokes in  (a) England and  (b) the East Midlands in the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Finished consultant episodes of strokes in England and East Midlands: national health service hospitals, England, 1995-96 to 2004-05 
			   Total number 
			  England  
			 1995-96 110,177 
			 1996-97 116,016 
			 1997-98 124,849 
			 1998-99 130,129 
			 1999-2000 131,139 
			 2000-01 130,217 
			 2001-02 136,474 
			 2002-03 148,237 
			 2003-04 150,899 
			 2004-05 154,805 
			   
			  East Midlands  
			 1995-96 (1)— 
			 1996-97 12,621 
			 1997-98 13,445 
			 1998-99 15,915 
			 1999-2000 16,161 
			 2000-01 16,001 
			 2001-02 16,174 
			 2002-03 16,856 
			 2003-04 17,541 
			 2004-05 17,295 
			 (1) Data not available as not mapped by region prior to 1996-97.  Notes:  1.  Finished consultant episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  2.  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, that is the data is ungrossed.   Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics, The Information Centre for health and social care

Surrey and Sussex NHS Trust

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are expected to be made redundant at the Surrey and Sussex NHS trust in the financial year 2006-07.

Rosie Winterton: This is an issue for the local national health service.

University Hospital of Hartlepool

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were admitted to the University hospital of Hartlepool accident and emergency department in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information for the University hospital of Hartlepool is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Finished in-year admission episodes via accident and emergency services, national health service hospitals, England, 2000-01 to 2004-05 
			  Method of admission: Emergency 
			  Description of provider: North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust 
			   Number 
			 2004-05 15,596 
			 2003-04 12,784 
			 2002-03 12,007 
			 2001-02 11,809 
			 2000-01 10,982 
			  Notes:   Method of admission  1. Emergency: via accident and emergency services, including the casualty department of the provider. 2. A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  3. Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, that is the data is ungrossed.   Source:  Hospital Episodes Statistics, The Information Centre for health and social care.

Waiting Lists/Times

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for  (a) cancer and  (b) cardiac patients in Barnet who were waiting for (A) outpatient appointments and (B) surgery or other in-patient treatment in (i) May 1997 and (ii) May 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Cancer waiting times data is not available for 1997 and 2006 data is not available in the format requested. Cardiac waiting times data is not held centrally.
	A cancer out-patient waiting time standard of a maximum two weeks from urgent general practitioner referral to first being seen by a specialist was introduced in 2000. The latest quarterly performance data (quarter one, April to June 2006) shows that at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals NHS trust 100 per cent. of cancer patients were seen within two weeks of urgent referral by their GP.
	Cancer treatment standards of two months from urgent GP referral to first cancer treatment and one month from diagnosis to first cancer treatment were introduced at the end of 2005. Latest quarterly performance data shows that 95.1 per cent. of patients were treated within two months of urgent referral by their general practitioner and 100 per cent. of cancer patients were treated within one month of diagnosis at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals NHS trust.

West Sussex Health Care

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses and  (c) other health care professionals were working at (i) the Princess Royal hospital, Haywards Heath, (ii) St Richard's hospital, Chichester and (iii) Worthing hospital in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is only available at trust level. Information on the numbers of medical staff at the Brighton and Sussex university hospitals national health service trust, Worthing and Southlands hospitals NHS trust and the Royal West Sussex NHS trust has been placed in the Library.

DEFENCE

"Not to Exceed" Dates

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the 'not to exceed' in-service date at main gate was for  (a) White Fleet PFI,  (b) Single Living Accommodation,  (c) Digitisation of the Battlespace (Land)-Com BAT, Infra and Platform,  (d) Otterburn Training Area,  (e) Project Aquatrine-Water and Wastewater Services PFI,  (f) Hayes Record Office,  (g) SSN Berthing HMNB Clyde,  (h) Defence Estates Regional Prime Contracting-Scotland,  (i) Project NEPTUNE and  (j) Defence Information Infrastructure (Army); and what the 'not to exceed' cost at main gate was for the demonstration and manufacture phase of each project, broken into (i) indirect resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL), (ii) direct resource DEL and (iii) capital DEL.

Adam Ingram: The term 'not to exceed' was not used during the approvals process for the majority of the projects as they predated the use of this concept. The values and dates used in the following table are those approved at Main Gate.
	Similarly, not all of the projects broke the cost down into Indirect Resource DEL, Direct Resource DEL and Capital DEL. The table therefore reflects the values approved in the relevant Main Gate, many of which are for service based contracts, not a demonstration and manufacture phase.
	
		
			  Project name  Approved in service date  Approved cost (£ million) 
			Indirect RDEL  Direct RDEL  Capital DEL 
			 White Fleet PFI Implementation of Service: April 2001 Maximum initial contract cost - 540.9 
			
			 Single Living Accommodation November 2004 786 
			
			 Digitisation of the Battlespace (Land-Corn BAT, Infra and Platform) December 2004 379 
			 
			 Otterburn Training Area November 2005 12.22 64.79 
			 
			 Project Aquatrine,Water and Wastewater services PFI August 2004 (A) 1000 — 
			  June 2005 (B) 392.2 — 
			  April 2005 (C) 1001. 8 — 
			 
			 Hayes Record Office July 2005 28.10 — 
			 
			 SSN Berthing HMNB Clyde November 2007 12.44 147.09 
			 
			 Defence Estates Regional Prime Contracting, Scotland March 2004 467 153 
			 
			 Project NEPTUNE Approved as an element of Defence Estates Regional Prime Contracting-Scotland 
			
			 Defence Information Infrastructure (Army) March 2005 212

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1131-48, on Afghanistan (troop levels), how many  (a) attack and  (b) support helicopters will be deployed as part of the additional deployment to Helmand Province; when they will arrive; and from where they will be sourced.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the statements I made on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1131-35, and 24 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 74-76WS. The additional CH-47 Chinooks were drawn from the UK and from the Falklands Islands.

Afghanistan

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 10 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1131-48, on Afghanistan (troop levels), which units will be operating outside harmony guidelines as a result of the additional deployment to Helmand Province; and what the average tour gap number will be for each unit.

Des Browne: I can confirm that, as announced on the 10 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1133, the additional force package deployed to the Helmand Province contained 320 engineers from 28 Regiment Royal Engineers (28 Regt RE), an Infantry Company from the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (2 RRF), two Platoons from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Irish Regiment (1 R IRISH) and one company from three Commando Brigade Royal Marines. The armed forces harmony guidelines recommend a tour interval of 24 months between each six month operational tour. The average tour interval for 28 Regt RE as a whole is 24 months, although, 35 individuals deployed facing a tour interval of between six and 24 months. The average tour interval for 2 RRF is 34 months, although one individual will have deployed for 15 months in a 30 month period. The average tour interval for 1 R IRISH is 25 months but most of the 60 personnel who deployed will now experience a tour interval of six months. The company of three Commando Brigade Royal Marines who deployed as the force protection unit for 28 Regt RE have a tour interval of 28 months.

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilians have been  (a) killed and  (b) injured by the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan in each of the last six months.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2013, to my hon. Friend the Member for Islington, North (Jeremy Corbyn).
	Similar principles apply to the number of civilians injured as to the number of civilians killed.

Afghanistan

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the strategic objectives are of the UK forces in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 27 March 2006,  Official Report, column 670W to the hon. Member for Gravesham (Mr. Holloway).

Afghanistan

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK armed forces personnel were in Afghanistan in each month between June 2003 and October 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Figures for the number of UK regular forces deployed in Afghanistan from December 2005 are shown in the following table. Figures for the number of UK service personnel deployed before December 2005 are not held centrally.
	
		
			  Deployment of UK armed forces( 1)  in Afghanistan since December 2005 
			  Date( 2)  Total 
			 December 2005 820 
			 January 2006 840 
			 February 2006 870 
			 March 2006 1,900 
			 April 2006 2,330 
			 May 2006 3,880 
			 June 2006 4,370 
			 July 2006 4,590 
			 August 2006 4,950 
			 September 2006 5,220 
			 October 2006 5,850 
			 (1) Figures include UK regular forces and mobilised reservists. They exclude civilians and Royal Fleet Auxiliary.  (2) Figures are collated from a manual headcount of personnel in theatre, reported on a weekly basis. The figures shown are the closest available to the first of each month.   Note:  Due to the rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 
		
	
	Figures for the number of UK service personnel deployed before December 2005 is not held centrally on a month to month basis and only an average for the year can be provided. These data have not been statistically verified.
	
		
			   Average number of UK personnel in Afghanistan 
			 2005 970 
			 2004 660 
			 June-December 2003 380

Afghanistan

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of  (a) the relationship between the Taliban and Afghan poppy-growers and  (b) its implications for NATO's counter-insurgency campaign.

Des Browne: holding answer 30 October 2006
	There are links of convenience between the Taliban and traffickers based on personal relationships, tribal loyalties and business interests. The Taliban and drug traffickers share a common interest in resisting the Afghan Government and coalition forces. The Taliban are also attempting to exploit the continued existence of the drugs trade to undermine the central Government's authority. Given these links we continue to monitor their development and to support the Afghan Government in disrupting them.
	NATO supports the Afghan counter narcotics effort by securing the future stability of Afghanistan and creating the environment in which counter narcotics activities can have greatest impact, but it does not take direct action against the drugs trade.

Afghanistan

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to his United States counterparts on the effect on the counter-insurgency campaign of attempts by  (a) NATO forces and  (b) the Afghan Government to suppress the cultivation of poppies.

Des Browne: holding answer 30 October 2006
	We regularly hold discussions on all aspects of the international community's efforts in Afghanistan with the US and other nations that contribute to the international security assistance force.

Afghanistan

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when it was decided that UK forces in Afghanistan would be under US command; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The vast majority of UK forces in Afghanistan are part of the NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) which is currently headed by a British officer. Regardless of the nationality of the commanding officer, ISAF remains under NATO command.

Afghanistan

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with NATO chiefs about the deployment of additional troops in support of British forces in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: I discuss regularly with the NATO Secretary General and with NATO Ministerial colleagues the need to ensure that NATO commanders in Afghanistan have the forces they need to fulfil their mission, including British forces in Helmand Province. NATO Defence Ministers last met collectively on 28 September.

Afghanistan

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 99W, whether any senior commanders in Afghanistan have asked for Warrior vehicles to be deployed there; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 2 November 2006
	As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister indicated during Prime Minister's Question Time on 1 November 2006,  Official Report, column 294, Ministers have not received any formal requests for Warrior armoured fighting vehicles. Requests from operational commanders are considered first by the Permanent Joint Headquarters and by the Chiefs of Staff before they are presented to Ministers.

Afghanistan

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will request a report on the recent accidental bombing of civilians by NATO planes in Southern Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which air force was responsible for the recent bombing in which up to 60 Afghan civilians are reported to have died; what assistance has been offered to the survivors; and what plans there are to compensate the victims.

Des Browne: NATO has commissioned a report into the accidental bombing of Afghan civilians on 24 October has still to be completed. Until the investigation is complete, it would be inappropriate to comment on the incident. In recognition of its responsibility to the Afghan people, however, the International Security Assistance Force has already provided medical assistance to a number of the injured.

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to ensure that women are fully included in Provincial Reconstruction Team development programmes in Afghanistan; and what assessment has been made of the potential effect of attempts by the Afghan Government to accommodate Islamist factions on women's rights in Afghanistan.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	Women's rights are fully considered in the UK Provincial Reconstruction Team's efforts to improve the lives of the people of Helmand. Gender awareness is an integral part of our effort to assist the national and provincial Afghan Government in laying the platform for lasting reconstruction and development across the province.
	The Afghan Government is engaging with a wide range of groups to ensure proper engagement in the democratic process, but remains fully aware of its obligations under the Constitution, which provides for women's equality and their right to participate in the political process, and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
	We continue to maintain a regular dialogue with the Afghan Government's Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, to ensure that women's rights are not sidelined during the process of reconciliation and integration.

Aircraft

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual lease cost was of the four C-17 aircraft in each year until 2006; and how much his Department has paid for the purchase of the fifth C-17.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 September 2006
	I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests.

Aircraft

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Hercules aircraft have been fitted with flame retardant materials since May.

Adam Ingram: The programme to fit explosive suppressant foam to Hercules aircraft continues as planned, and two aircraft have been fitted so far.

Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is per annum per aircraft for the Nimrod MR4 for the first five years after its introduction into service.

Adam Ingram: The Nimrod MRA4 support solution is currently being developed and costed.

Armed Forces Pension Scheme

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost of extending pension provision to widows and widowers of all post-retirement marriages in the armed forces pension scheme; and how this estimate was calculated.

Derek Twigg: The 1975 Social Security Act required all occupational pension schemes to introduce pensions for widows who married their husbands after they retired from service. The change was introduced in April 1978 for future service only. The change for widowers was not introduced until April 1989. Widows of men who joined the armed forces after April 1978 and widowers of women who joined after 1989 are not affected by this issue and are eligible for pension benefits in respect of their entire service.
	The Government Actuary confirmed a figure of £50 million to extend benefits to all post-retirement widows and widowers in the armed forces pension scheme 1975 (AFPS 75) as part of the review which led to the introduction of the Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Act 2004. This figure should not be viewed in isolation: if the concession were to be made for affected members of AFPS 75, there would be pressure to extend it across other public sector pension schemes at an estimated cost of between £300 million and £500 million.
	The cost for AFPS 75 represented the total capitalised value of future widows' and widowers' benefits which would be payable if marriages after leaving service were treated on the same basis as if the marriage had taken place in service. The value has been assessed using data relating to membership of pensioners and deferred pensioners of AFPS 75 and marriage patterns adopted for costing the scheme as a whole.

Armoured Vehicles

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors were taken into account in selecting the Cougar armoured vehicle; and what other products were considered.

Des Browne: To meet the requirement for a medium protected patrol vehicle, a number of factors were taken into consideration. These included mine protection, vehicle capacity and payload, and the ability to be modified to meet the demanding UK protection requirements in the fastest possible time.
	A wide range of vehicles were briefly considered but discounted because we judged that they could not be modified to meet the UK requirement in the necessary timescale. Three options were considered in detail: the ADI Bushmaster, the BAES OMC RG-31 and the Cougar, which is manufactured by Force Protection Inc. The Cougar was selected and will be known as MASTIFF when in service with the United Kingdom armed forces.

Armoured Vehicles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 176W, on armoured vehicles, what his most recent assessment is of the annual running costs of the Warrior in wartime usage; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Operating costs for armoured vehicle fleets are calculated on peacetime usage, and based on an average cost per kilometre. The full capitation cost for the Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle (all variants) for financial year 2006-07 is calculated as £154.04 per kilometre. Specific mileage data on operations is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armoured Vehicles

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether any RG-31 armoured vehicles are  (a) owned and  (b) leased by his Department;
	(2)  what the maintenance problems were which led to the RG-31 being withdrawn from service following deployments in Bosnia.

Adam Ingram: The RG-31 Mamba was procured in the mid-late 1990s to meet Urgent Operational Requirements for specialist vehicles for use by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams in the Balkans. It was replaced in service by the Mine Protected Vehicle in 2001-02. The RG31 Mamba suffered from safety and reliability problems caused by the additional weight of the appliqué armour affecting the vehicle's steering and braking systems. These problems were exacerbated by a lack of commonality between the vehicles, which were bought in three separate batches, and poor availability of spare parts.
	The MOD does not own or lease any RG-31 armoured vehicles and currently has no plans to do so.

Army Personnel

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the present strength of the Army is  (a) in total and  (b) in terms of (i) officers and (ii) other ranks.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 1—Strength, Intake and Outflow of UK Regular Forces. TSP 1 is published monthly. The most recent publication shows figures at 1 September 2006.
	Copies of TSP 1 are available in the Library of the House and at www.dasa.mod.uk.

Army Personnel

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) established and  (b) actual strength is of (i) the Regular Army and (ii) the Territorial Army, broken down by cap badge.

Derek Twigg: The following table provides a breakdown, by cap badge, of the Regular Army strength against liability as at 1 August 2006. A detailed breakdown of Territorial Army posts by cap badge within unit establishments is not currently available; however strengths are given as follows against the overall Territorial Army liability of 42,000.
	
		
			   Regular Army  Territorial Army 
			  Arm/Service  Liability( 3)  Strength( 1)  Liability  Strength( 2) 
			 Total 97,710 96,460 42,000 36,260 
			  
			 Staff 720 820 — 100 
			 Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 5,760 5,460 — 1,260 
			 Royal Regiment of Artillery 7,510 7,240 — 2,280 
			 Corps of Royal Engineers 9,180 8,780 — 2,460 
			 Royal Corps of Signals 8,500 8,450 — 3,990 
			 Infantry 24,450 23,720 — 7,350 
			 Army Air Corps 2,060 2,010 — 100 
			 Royal Army Chaplains Department 150 140 — 60 
			 Royal Logistics Corps 15,720 15,590 — 6,060 
			 Royal Army Medical Corps 3,180 2,910 — 2,660 
			 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 9,700 9,690 — 2,200 
			 Adjutant General's Corps 6,250 6,660 — 1,240 
			 Royal Army Veterinary Corps 210 190 — 10 
			 Small Arms School Corps 140 150 — 10 
			 Royal Army Dental Corps 420 360 — 60 
			 Intelligence Corps 1,650 1,480 — 500 
			 Army Physical Training Corps 430 450 — (4)— 
			 General List (4)— (4)— — 340 
			 Queen Alexandra's Royal Auxiliary Nursing Corps 1,190 840 — 1,030 
			 The Corps of Army Music 890 900 — (4)— 
			 Long Service List 600 620 — (4)— 
			 Officer Training Corps (4)— (4)— — 4,540 
			 (1 )Figures include trained Officers and Soldiers; full-time Reserve Service (full, limited and home Commitment) but exclude home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment, mobilised reserves, Territorial Army and other reserves.  (2) TA Personnel include Group A & B, Mobilised TA and Officer Training Corps (OTC), and exclude non regular permanent staff and full-time Reserve Service.  (3) Liability is based on the Regular Army Liability 2006.  (4 )Represents zero of rounded to zero.   Notes:  1. The Adjutant General's Corps consists of: Adjutant General's Corps (Provost), Adjutant General's Corps (Staff & Personnel Support), Adjutant General's Corps (Education & Training Services) and Adjutant General's Corps (Army Legal Services).  2. All data have been rounded to the nearest 10. Due to the rounding methods used totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. Numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.

Belize

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British army personnel have been trained at the BATSUB base in Belize in each of the past 20 years.

Adam Ingram: Records in respect of British Army personnel trained at the British Army Training Support Unit Belize do not go back 20 years however, I am able to give the detail from 1997 onwards:
	
		
			   Event  Number of Exercises  Number of trained personnel 
			 1997 Exercise Native Trail 6 840 
			  Sub Aqua Expedition 3 48 
			  Exercise Sailfish 1 130 
			 
			 1998 Exercise Native Trail 6 840 
			  Sub Aqua Expedition 5 80 
			  Exercise Sailfish 1 130 
			  Exercise Caribbean Fury 1 500 
			 
			 1999 Exercise Native Trail 8 1,120 
			  Sub Aqua Expedition 8 128 
			  Exercise Western Rhumba 1 500 
			  Operation Windbreak 1 40 
			  Exercise Devils Hat 1 50 
			  Exercise Global Links 1 30 
			  Exercise Sailfish 1 130 
			  Exercise Tarzan Rock 1 75 
			 
			 2000 Exercise Western Rhumba 1 500 
			  Exercise Native Trail 4 560 
			  Sub Aqua Expedition 5 80 
			 
			 2001 Exercise Native Trail 7 980 
			 
			 2002 Exercise Native Trail 2 280 
			 
			 2003 Exercise Panther Cub 3 420 
			  Exercise Mayan Warrior 1 700 
			  Exercise Sailfish 1 130 
			  Sub Aqua Expedition 4 64 
			 
			 2004 Exercise Windbreak 1 40 
			  Exercise Mayan Warrior 2 1,400 
			  Exercise Green River 1 150 
			  Sub Aqua Expedition 5 80 
			  Exercise Panther Cub 1 140 
			  Exercise Civil Bridge 1 40 
			  Exercise Green Parakeet 1 150 
			 
			 2005 Exercise Green River 1 150 
			  Sub Aqua Expedition 8 128 
			  Exercise Civil Bridge 1 40 
			  Exercise Cygnet Coral 1 30 
			  Exercise Tropical Storm 4 2,800 
			  Exercise Windbreak 1 40 
			  Exercise Roman Devil 1 140 
			  Exercise Green Emerald 1 150

Boarding School Allowance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the accessibility of the boarding school allowance to (i) other ranks and (ii) officers; whether such research took account of (A) ability to pay the fees and (B) the retirement age of officers and other ranks; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The recently published report on the Defence Committee inquiry "Educating Service Children" (HC1054 published 6 September 2006) has recommended research be conducted on the take-up of continuity of education allowance. The formal Government response to this report will be made shortly. I refer the hon. Member to the Third Memorandum from the MOD made to the Committee for their inquiry (HC1054 Ev77-78). This includes background on why the demographic profile of service personnel by age, rank and length of service will have an impact on take-up and explains that it may be more meaningful to consider the age of a child and their stage of education rather than the age/rank profile of a service person.

Boarding School Allowance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many children have been covered by the boarding school allowance for the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force in each of the last five years, broken down by officers and other ranks; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Numbers of service children covered by continuity of education allowance as at spring term of each academic year 
			  Service  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Navy 1,281 1,326 1,357 1,435 1,377 
			 Army 4,383 4,356 4,405 4,374 4,289 
			 RAF 1,466 2,255 2,219 2,220 2,220 
			 Total 7,130 7,937 7,981 8,029 7,886 
		
	
	The above data cannot be separated out into officers and other ranks due to disproportionate cost.

Boarding School Allowance

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on boarding school allowance for the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force in each of the last five years, broken down by officers and other ranks; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The sum paid annually in respect of service education allowances by the MOD, broken down by single-service is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total spend on service education allowances for the last five years 
			  £ 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Navy 17,588,014 12,781,113 13,002,607 16,278,396 16,878,279 
			 Army 37,450,741 37,754,069 49,046,403 49,840,780 51,004,877 
			 RAF 16,388,267 22,515,029 24,381,279 24,653,301 25,813,795 
			 Total 71,438,022 73,050,211 86,429,289 90,772,477 93,696,951 
		
	
	The above data cannot be separated out into officers and other ranks.

British Troops (Supplies)

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what levels of  (a) ammunition,  (b) supplies and  (c) body armour are available to British troops deployed in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Logistics Organisation continues to work extremely hard to ensure that sufficient supplies and ammunition are delivered to our forces in Afghanistan. They ensure that in the vast majority of cases adequate re-supply to theatre takes place in a timely fashion.
	In the case of ammunition, there have been occasional instances where units in remote locations have exhausted supplies of a particular ammunition type during a specific attack or operation. At no time, though, have troops on the ground run out of all ammunition types available to them. In such instances, ground forces are re-supplied by helicopters.
	In the case of food supplies, most of our troops are fed to a very high standard by the Royal Logistic Corps. In some of the more remote locations this service will not always be available. In such instances, troops are supplied with nutritious, fit-for-purpose ration packs, which can also be augmented by local supplies.
	It is departmental policy that all troops deploying to Op HERRICK are provided with enhanced combat body armour (ECBA) as standard. In addition, Kestrel and Osprey variants of body armour, which provide additional protection, are available against specific threats and for specific roles, such as top cover sentry duty. The current combination of ECBA, Osprey and Kestrel provides Commanders with a flexible system of personal protection so that personnel can conduct their tasks effectively, while retaining a level of protection commensurate with the threat assessment. Such flexibility is deemed important because Commanders need to balance the benefits of increased protection body armour against risks such as constraint of movement.

Cadets (Totnes)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will arrange for the Cadet Centre in Totnes to be made available to the Totnes Youth Centre.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 12 October 2006
	To date, the Department has received no approach or inquiry by representatives of Totnes Youth Centre. However, I understand that there may well be an opportunity for the Totnes Cadet Centre to be made available for use, and I would advise the representatives of the Totnes Youth Centre to approach the Wessex Reserve Forces and Cadets Association:
	Chief Executive,
	Wessex RFCA,
	Mount House,
	Mount Street,
	Taunton,
	Somerset TA1 3QE

Casualty Reports

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he receives a daily casualty report.

Des Browne: I receive a daily report on significant developments relating to UK military operations, including serious casualties to UK personnel deployed on operations. In addition, I am informed as soon as possible about fatalities of UK personnel.

Cluster Munitions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) of 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 11, on cluster munitions, what definition he uses of 'properly used' in relation to the use of cluster munitions in conflict.

Adam Ingram: We regard cluster munitions as being used properly when they are used against legitimate targets, and when their use against such targets is based on an assessment that takes into account the nature of that target, the weapons available, and the legal requirements. Prior to the use of any munitions, the UK follows a detailed targeting procedure, to ensure that the UK complies with the rules of proportionality, non-discrimination and distinction in International Humanitarian Law.

Cluster Munitions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 11, to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron), on cluster munitions, when he last carried out a review into the consistency of the use of cluster munitions with international humanitarian law.

Adam Ingram: The lawful use of any weapon system, including cluster munitions, is scrutinised as part of operational planning, and during the targeting process. This includes consideration of International Humanitarian Law, including the principles of discrimination, proportionality, necessity and humanity.

Defence Organisations (UK Membership)

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the case for the UK simultaneously retaining its membership of the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matiere D'Armement and the European Defence Agency; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 31 October 2006
	The UK remains firmly committed to our membership of both the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en Matiere D'Armement (OCCAR) and the European Defence Agency (EDA). These two organisations have differing purposes and memberships, and complement each other.
	OCCAR is a project management organisation, managing a number of collaborative armament acquisition programmes, including the A400M programme. Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK are members. OCCAR programmes are open to participation by non-member nations.
	The EDA does not manage collaborative acquisition programmes. It works to promote and enhance such collaboration, by providing contractual services for collaborative research projects, through the identification of common military requirements, and by improving the transparency of the European Defence Equipment Market. All EU member states except Denmark are members of the EDA, and there is also an administrative agreement with Norway, enabling their involvement in EDA facilitated projects.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department recognises the International GCSE as an acceptable substitute for a GCSE for the purposes of recruitment.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence does recognise the International GCSE as an acceptable equivalent to a GCSE for purposes of recruitment.

Engagements

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on  (a) a new generation of the nuclear deterrent and  (b) the security situation in Iraq.

Des Browne: I have regular discussions with the Foreign Secretary on a wide range of issues.

European Defence Co-operation

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which projects in which the UK has an interest are being pursued by the  (a) Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement and  (b) European Defence Agency.

Des Browne: The UK has an interest in three projects being managed by the Organisation Conjointe de Coopération en matière d'Armement. These are the A400M project, the COBRA (COunter Battery RAdar) project and the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) element of the Famille des systèmes Surface-Air Futurs (FSAF) project.
	In the European Defence Agency (EDA) a number of Research and Technology (R and T) projects have been transferred from the Western European Armaments Organisation, 13 of which involve the UK. Work in the EDA is still developing and we have so far confirmed interest in one ad hoc category B (in which not all EDA member states participate) R and T project on Scalable Multi-Function Radar which has yet to be contracted. The EDA's role in this area is one of facilitating collaboration and providing contractual services.

Falklands War

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what preparations are being made to commemorate the 25(th) anniversary of the Falklands war;
	(2)  what grants are available to commemorate the 25(th) anniversary of the Falklands war at Chorley Cenotaph;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on preparations for the 25(th) anniversary of the Falklands war;
	(4)  what steps have been taken to ensure that all veterans of the Falklands war have the opportunity to participate in commemoration of the 25(th) anniversary.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my predecessor on 27 April 2006,  Official Report, column 54WS in which he outlined plans to commemorate the 25(th) anniversary of the Falklands conflict both here in the UK and in the Falkland Islands. Preparations for these events are proceeding well and more details, including how veterans can apply for tickets, will be provided to the House on 13 November, in parallel with a media launch the same day.
	We are having close discussions with a range of stakeholders, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and veterans' organisations, about the nature of the commemorations planned.
	Grants are not available from my Department for local commemorations but the organisers of the Chorley event may wish to consider applying to the Awards for All scheme (A4A) which is run by the Big Lottery Fund.

Future Aircraft Carriers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when each of the Future Aircraft Carriers will be ordered; and what their planned in-service dates are.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 1 November 2006
	The projected programme dates for the Future Aircraft Carriers, including when they will be ordered and the in-service dates (ISDs), will only be set following the main investment decision, and once they have been approved by Ministers. This decision has not yet been taken, and will only be taken when we know with confidence the risks, the costs and the associated contractual framework involved in building the carriers.

Future Rotacraft Coherency Study

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the conclusions and recommendations of the Future Rotacraft Coherency Study in the Library.

Adam Ingram: I am unable to provide a copy of the document requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice commercial interests. However some elements of the Future Rotorcraft programmes were reported in the Defence Industrial Strategy and announcements were also made earlier this year. In summary we plan to prosecute the following:
	A contract has been placed with Lockheed-Martin to ensure continuity of capability and introduce an open-systems architecture (to enable cost-effective management of obsolescence) on the Merlin Mkl—the Royal Navy's airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare capability.
	A contract has been placed with AgustaWestland to provide new Future Lynx aircraft in order to meet the Army's Battlefield Reconnaissance Helicopter and the Royal Navy's Surface Combatant Maritime Rotorcraft requirements.
	A package of work, known as the Chinook Mk2/2A coherence programme, is being progressed to establish a single configuration baseline and reduce the overall cost of supporting the Chinook fleet.
	A competition has been launched under the Private Finance Initiative, joint with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, for the provision of a UK-based peacetime helicopter Search and Rescue capability.
	A programme of work, known as the Lift Advanced Concept Phase, is being undertaken to determine how best to invest further in the battlefield helicopter Lift capability, including the balance between Medium and Large lift aircraft.
	On Chinook Mk3, we continue to work with Boeing to identify a robust, affordable and value for money approach before taking decisions on how best to proceed.
	The Apache Attack Helicopter is presently being successfully deployed on operations and work is ongoing to determine how this capability can be best sustained through-life, including investigations to extend the out-of-service date of the aircraft.
	We also keep under constant review how best to sustain and refresh the helicopter capability provided to operations.
	In addition, we are also pursuing work with a number of helicopter suppliers to implement revised and novel arrangements to support our current platforms through long-term, partnered contracts that require industry to provide serviceable aircraft at the front line. These arrangements have already been contracted for Sea King, Merlin and Chinook aircraft. Similar arrangements are being explored for other aircraft and we intend to focus efforts on ensuring convergence and that lessons are learnt, shared and implemented.

Helicopters

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) RAF,  (b) Army Air Corps and  (c) Royal Navy helicopters were sold to (i) the private sector and (ii) foreign governments during the period September 2005 to September 2006.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 1 November 2006
	The MOD's Disposal Services Agency sold six helicopters between September 2005 and September 2006. Three Sea Kings, which were not in an airworthy condition, were sold via Agusta Westland, under a Commercial Marketing Agreement, to Australia for spares recovery; one Army Sioux was sold privately; and one Wessex and one Sea King were sold as scrap.

Helicopters

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether negotiations have been concluded with Boeing for the work to be carried out on the eight Chinook Mark 3 helicopters at Boscombe Down to make them certifiable for military flights; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Negotiations with Boeing have not yet been concluded.

Helicopters

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of  (a) the overall military helicopter fleet and  (b) the helicopter fleet deployed in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan are considered (A) fit for service and (B) battleworthy, broken down by helicopter type.

Adam Ingram: The MOD does not use the terms fit for service and battleworthy in describing helicopters. We use the term "fit for purpose", which means those that are available, reliable, airworthy and capable of carrying out their planned missions on a given date.
	
		
			  Helicopter type  Fit for purpose (Percentage) 
			 A109 77 
			 Apache 60 
			 Chinook 61 
			 Gazelle AH1 76 
			 Lynx MK 3 and 8 57 
			 Lynx MK 7 and 9 59 
			 Merlin MK 1 48 
			 Merlin MK 3 53 
			 Puma 73 
			 Sea King MK 3/3A 53 
			 Sea King MK4/6C 51 
			 Sea King MK 5 53 
			 Sea King MK 7 56 
		
	
	The percentages shown in the table indicate the proportion of the helicopter fleet available to front-line commands, which are considered "fit for purpose". These numbers will vary; the figures shown are the average for the period from 1 June to 30 September 2006.
	All UK helicopters deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are considered fit for purpose, but not all will be available for operational flying each day due to routine maintenance requirements. However, these factors are taken into consideration, and sufficient helicopters are provided to meet current operational requirements. We continue to review these operational requirements and adjust as necessary.

Hercules Aircraft

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration was given to his Department's duty of care to Air Force crews when prioritising tasking over the fitting of foam to the Hercules fleet; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: In prioritising the fitment of explosive suppressant foam (ESF) to Hercules C-130 aircraft, the Department considered a range of factors including: the safety of RAF crews and passengers; the nature of the threat to Hercules C-130 aircraft deployed on operations; the impact on the operational availability of the aircraft; and the capacity of industry to fit ESF to the aircraft.

HMS Southampton

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason and for how long the crew of HMS Southampton have been without normal supplies of fresh water; what the consequences have been; and when the problem is expected to be rectified.

Adam Ingram: At no time has HMS Southampton been without fresh water.
	On three separate occasions between 17 and 29 October the ship experienced difficulties with the distillation system that produces fresh water and restrictions were imposed to conserve stocks.
	On 17 and 26 October 2006 the use of showers was stopped for a period of less than 12 hours each day. No other restrictions were imposed. On 28 October 2006 the use of fresh water for activities other than drinking, cooking and washing hands was restricted for a period of 14 hours.
	The availability of fresh water for the ship's galley, drinking supplies and personal hygiene remained unaffected throughout.
	The problems were rectified by the ship's company using on board resources.

Information Technology

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was in each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Contract  Originally estimated cost (£ million)  Most recently estimated cost (£ million)  Outturn cost (£ million)  Comments 
			 Skynet 5 (Satellite Communication Services) 2,775 3,660 137 Expenditure does not include expenditure from other areas within the Department that call up SATCOM services. 'Most recent cost' reflects revised contract to include a third satellite and a fourth satellite in the event of the failure at the launch stage of one of the three satellites. Should there be no loss the cost will reduce to £3,273 million. 
			 Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)) 2,297 2,313 252 This relates to the Increment 1 contract only. Increments 2 and 3 have not yet been let. 
			 Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) 237 237 106 These estimates comprise all extramural costs for JPA and include the cost of personnel administration services using JPA up to the end of financial year 2008-09. Outturn costs cover extramural expenditure to the end of financial year 2005-06. 
			 Joint Asset Management and Engineering Solutions (JAMES) Up to 200 90 to 100 10 to 20 This includes JAMES 1 and 2, Whole Fleet Management and Engineering and Asset Management. 
			 Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) 98 82 0 No outturn yet—contract placed in April 2006. 
			  Note: Purely voice communications systems are not considered to fall within the scope of the question.

Iraq

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the numbers of insurgents entering Iraq from  (a) Saudi Arabia and  (b) Iran since March 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Given the covert nature in which they operate it is extremely difficult accurately to assess how many foreign fighters have entered Iraq. We currently estimate that a few hundred foreign fighters may have entered Iraq from Saudi Arabia and Iran since March 2003, with the vast majority of them entering from Iran.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the estimates of Iraqi deaths made in  The Lancet; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Maintaining records of civilian deaths in Iraq is ultimately a matter for the Government of Iraq and we believe they are best placed to monitor the situation.  The Lancet report is one of a number of recent studies that attempts to estimate the numbers of civilian casualties in Iraq, none of which can be regarded as definitive. The figures in  The Lancet report are significantly higher than other casualty estimates.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he and his coalition partners have made to the Iraqi authorities on progress in disarming militia in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: Alongside our coalition partners we continue to press the Iraqi authorities, both at a national and provincial level, to recognise and take action on the issue of militias. The process of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration forms a key part of tackling armed militia groups. We are ready to support this process in any way we can.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place for the audit and accountability of spending on the joint Iraqi and American Baghdad Security Plan; what estimate he has made of how much the  (a) security and  (b) non-security element will cost; whether security personnel will carry out the non-security element; and how many Iraqi civilian jobs will be created in consequence.

Des Browne: This is a matter for the US Government.

Iraq

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) funds and  (b) other resources have been provided to British forces by the US in Iraq.

Des Browne: The US does not provide direct funding for the UK military deployment in Iraq. However, the UK does have access to US Commander's Emergency Response Programme funding. Between 1 October 2004 and 30 September 2006 $145.3 million was drawn from this and allocated directly to reconstruction projects in MND(SE).
	Coalition partners also share logistical support and may make available military assets in support of specific military operations. Where payment is required for these activities, it is provided on a repayment basis.

Iraq

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been to the UK of military action in Iraq since January 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The cost of operations are calculated on a net additional basis and audited figures are published each year in the MOD's annual report and accounts. The total of the annual audited figures for the cost of operations in Iraq for the years 2002-03 to 2005-06 was £4,026 million.

Language Skills

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel in each unit stationed in Iraq  (a) speak and  (b) have received instruction in Arabic.

Derek Twigg: It is not possible to provide details of how many personnel in each unit stationed in Iraq speak Arabic or have received formal Arabic language education as the information is not held centrally and to collate the information would be at disproportionate cost. However, PJHQ have identified a formal requirement for 30 official interpreters. These are both civilian contractors and military personnel. I should stress this does not include locally employed personnel, many of whom provide interpretation and translation services and those individuals who might speak Arabic but are not official interpreters.
	In terms of troops receiving Arabic instruction, there are three courses specialising in Iraqi language training open to troops prior to deployment to Iraq; Survival Standard (one soldier per sub-unit/four gunners per squadron), Basic Patrol Arabic (Junior Commanders and soldiers) and Operational Linguist. Details of those deployed to Iraq that have undertaken this training is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All personnel deploying to Iraq will receive some form of language training in the form of their unit level pre-deployment training, known as Cascade training. Once deployed, further continuation training for all ranks is conducted. In addition, every soldier is issued with a language card which is taught during pre-deployment training.

MAMBA/Cobra

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) MAMBA and  (b) Cobra are deployed in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan; what the response time is of each under incoming fire; and how the information generated by each is used.

Des Browne: Equipment for battlefield surveillance and target acquisition is available in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I am withholding details on the precise number of MAMBA (Mobile Artillery Monitoring Battlefield Radar) and COBRA (Counter Battery Radar) and information on how they are used tactically as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice the security of our armed forces.

Media Access

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures are in place to ensure fair and equal access by all broadcast and print media reporting from combat areas in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The MOD has dedicated staff, processes and systems designed to provide balanced access for UK and international correspondents. These processes are laid out in the MOD 'Green Book' ("MOD Working Arrangements with the Media for use Throughout the Full Spectrum of Military Operations") a copy of which is available on the MOD website (www.mod.uk). The 'Green Book' provides details of how correspondents should apply for operational media assignments. Applications for operational assignments are assessed on a case by case basis and decisions to approve applications are based on a range of factors, such as the ability of the military to facilitate the media visit. The MOD aims at all times to ensure a fair and balanced approach by ensuring that a wide a variety of responsible media organisations are represented.

Mental Health

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department uses to assess the success of mental health treatment for  (a) service personnel and  (b) veterans; and what his assessment is of the outcomes of each of the treatment centres that his Department uses.

Derek Twigg: The MOD uses the Medical Employment Standard (MES) as the main measure of outcome of its medical treatment including for mental health. The MES gives an indication of the employability of Service patients from the beginning (diagnosis) through to the end of their care pathway. The MES is derived from a medical assessment of the patient's illness, the treatment course required and various occupational factors. The MES indicates whether the Service person can carry out full service, serve in some restricted form/role for a temporary period or, in some cases, a permanent basis or whether they should be discharged from the Service on medical grounds.
	With regard to outcomes, in the majority of cases, personnel treated at the MOD's Departments of Community Mental Health are able to return to Service. Medical discharge rates for mental health conditions are low—out of 2000 personnel medically discharged annually from the UK armed forces, only about 150 will have a mental health problem. Of these, 20-25 will meet the criteria to be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
	With regard to veterans, upon leaving the armed forces or on demobilisation for reservists it is the long established practice that responsibility for medical care passes to the NHS. This has been the case since 1948 under successive Governments. Responsibility for assessment of mental healthcare for veterans provided by the NHS rests with the UK Health Departments.
	For veterans who are also war pensioners, under the War Pensions Scheme the MOD has a discretionary power to meet the cost of any necessary expenses in respect of the medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment of ex-members of the armed forces that arise wholly or mainly arise as a result of the disablement due to service, before 6 April 2005. It cannot be used to fund treatment provided under other UK legislation. Where appropriate "remedial treatment" at homes run by the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society (Combat Stress) is funded by this route for pensioned psychological conditions.
	Over the last few years research evidence of effective best practice treatment and interventions for mental health disorders has been published and officials of MOD, the UK Health Departments and Combat Stress are currently working to develop and implement a new community mental health service for veterans. This will involve public, private and charitable providers working together to deliver evidence based interventions and will be subject to appropriate clinical governance.
	In addition, the department recently announced that reservists demobilised since January 2003 will be entitled to a mental health assessment by Defence Medical Services personnel, and out-patient treatment if appropriate. A further announcement will be made later this year to confirm the details of the service that will be provided including the location(s) at which the assessments will be provided, and the date on which the service will commence.

Military Exercises

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military exercises were cancelled in  (a) 2004 and  (b) 2005; how many have been cancelled in 2006; and what the reasons were for cancelling each exercise.

Adam Ingram: During financial year 2004-05, a total of 379 training events were scheduled on the Defence Exercise Programme (DXP) of which 79 (20 per cent.) were cancelled. While specific reasons for cancellation are not available in many cases, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, the Programme was affected by competing operational priorities. Since that time, improved data capture has enabled a more detailed review of the DXP.
	During FY 2005-06, a total of 533 training events were scheduled on the DXP of which 58 (10.8 per cent.) were cancelled. In detail, 30 exercises were cancelled due to operational commitments, 13 were removed as savings measures and 10 were cancelled by other nations. The remaining five events were cancelled in response to changing priorities or rescheduling.
	During the period 1 April 2006 to 31 October 2006, a total of 438 training events were scheduled on the DXP of which 30 (6.8 per cent.) were cancelled. In detail, 13 exercises were cancelled due to operational commitments, two were removed as savings measures and 11 were cancelled by other nations. The remaining four events were cancelled in response to changing priorities or rescheduling.
	Further details of the military exercise cancelled since 1 April 2005 are set out as follows.
	
		
			  Exercise name  Location  Type  Reason for cancellation 
			  Exercises Cancelled in FY 2005-06
			 Catt 05 Salisbury Plain Trg area, UK Land Operational priorities 
			 Bass Rock Canada Land Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Pathfinder Czech Republic Land Cancelled by mutual consent: operational commitments 
			 Lone Kestrel 05 Poland Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Gruflex 05 Spain Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Fwit 05 Norway Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Air Warrior 05-10 PX USA Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Smart Search 05 USA Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Lucky Sentinel 05 Canada Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Lone Osprey 05 Ukraine Air Cancelled due insufficient time to resolve Ukrainian requirements. 
			 JTP 05-5 UK General Air Operational commitments 
			 Cross Check 05 Canada Air Operational commitments 
			 Baltops 05 Baltic Air Operational commitments 
			 Trident Door 05 Mediterranean Air Operational commitments 
			 Wycombe Warrior 05-07 (Day 1) High Wycombe, UK Air Operational commitments 
			 Wycombe Warrior 05-07 (Day 2) High Wycombe, UK Air Operational commitments 
			 Cygnet Gold France Land Cancelled due to MOU issues 
			 Nomad 05 Waddington, UK Air Cancelled due to withdrawal of 3 nations 
			 Snow Leopard 06 Norway Air Operational priorities 
			 Air Cadre 06-1 Cyprus Joint Revised priorities 
			 Flycatcher 05-2 UK General Joint Revised priorities 
			 Red Corvette 06 UK General Joint Revised priorities 
			 Fidae 06 Chile Air Operational commitments; not cost effective 
			 1 Div CT5 Ex Poland Land Operational commitments 
			 3 Div CT5 Ex Salisbury Plain Trg Area, UK Land Operational commitments 
			 Czech Pineapple Czech Republic Land Operational commitments 
			 Eagles Resolve Salisbury Plain Trg Area, UK  Operational commitments 
			 Fingals Cave Canada  Operational commitments 
			 Iron Anvil 05 Canada  Operational commitments 
			 Joint Falcon 06 South Cerney, UK Air Operational commitments 
			 Kimmons Post Cyprus Land Operational commitments 
			 Kleiber France Land Operational commitments 
			 Medoc UK General Land Operational commitments 
			 Quicksand 05 Africa Joint Operational commitments 
			 Snow Chute 06 Norway Air Operational commitments 
			 Swordfish 05 Mediterranean Air Operational commitments 
			 Templar Forge 05-1 Cyprus Air Operational commitments 
			 Templar Forge 05-2 Cyprus Air Operational commitments 
			 Templar Forge 05-3 Cyprus Air Operational commitments 
			 Aswex 05 Kinloss, UK Air Operational commitments 
			 Eagles Resolve-Air UK General Air Operational commitments 
			 Lemon Peel 05-2 UK General Joint Operational commitments 
			 Target Flame 05-3 Cyprus Air Operational priorities (Opeval) 
			 Initial Link 05 Bahrain Air Re-scheduled 
			 Eagles Flight 06 UK General Air Rescheduled as Eagles Eye 06 
			 Danex Denmark/North Sea Maritime Savings measure 
			 Druids Dance Salisbury Plain Trg Area, UK Land Savings measure 
			 Flotex Silver Norway Maritim Maritime Savings measure 
			 Lone Cheetah 05 France Air Savings measure 
			 Lone Civet 05 Europe General Air Savings measure 
			 Lone Eagle 05 Spain Air Savings measure 
			 Lone Egret 05 Slovakia Air Savings measure 
			 Lone Feat 05 Europe General Air Savings measure 
			 Lone Flap 05 Norway Air Savings measure 
			 Lone Kite 05 Europe General Air Savings measure 
			 Lone Knot 05 Europe General Air Savings measure 
			 Medicine Man Batus Canada Land Savings measure 
			 Snow Goose 05-2 Norway Air Savings measure 
			  Exercises cancelled during period 1 April-31 October2006
			 Czech Pineapple 06 Czech Rep Land Operational Commitments 
			 Gaulish 2/06 Not Specified Land Operational Commitments 
			 Paper Chase 06/07 Germany Land Operational Commitments 
			 Path Finder 06/07 Czech Rep Land Operational Commitments 
			 Alberts Rapport 06-1 North America Air Operational Commitments 
			 Gaulish 1—06/07 France/UK Land Operational Commitments 
			 JTP 2—06/07 UK Land Operational Commitments 
			 Dragons Nest 06 Europe Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Javelin 06/07 Nepal Land Revised Priorities 
			 Airlift Rodeo 06 North America Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Heavy Ferry 06/07 Germany Land Revised Priorities 
			 Fingals Cave 06/07 Canada Land Cancelled by Host Nation 
			 Express Three 06/07 (Russian Express 06) Russia Land Cancelled due to coord issues with Host Nation 
			 Gaulish 5—06/07 France/UK Land Operational Commitments 
			 Lone Knot 06 Europe Air Postponed by Lead Nation 
			 Tunuk Warrior 06/07 Turkey Land Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Wet Gap 06/07 Germany Land Revised Priorities 
			 Grand Prix 1—06/07 Kenya Land Savings measure 
			 Cossack Steppe 06/07 Ukraine Land Cancelled due insufficient time to resolve Ukrainian requirements 
			 Night Hawk 2/06 Denmark Joint Operational commitments 
			 Wycombe Warrior 09-06 (Day 1 and 2) United Kingdom Air Cancelled by NATO 
			 Blue Cypriot Cyprus Land Operational Commitments 
			 Aphrodite 06/07 Cyprus Land Revised Priorities 
			 Assegai Eyes 06 United Kingdom Joint Operational Commitments 
			 Rainbow Serpent 06/07 Australia Land Ex reduced in scope due to Australian operational commitments 
			 Eagles Eye 06/07 UK Land Operational commitments 
			 Cockfight 2/06 UK Joint Operational commitments 
			 Rock Challenge USA Joint Savings measure 
			 Triplex Flame 06.1 Europe Air Cancelled by Lead Nation 
			 Lone Flap 06 Europe Air Cancelled by Lead Nation

Military Research

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tests have been carried out on primates in military research in each of the last five years; and what the scientific basis is of the tests.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down undertakes research involving non-human primates as part of the overall research programme to provide the UK and its armed forces with safe and effective countermeasures in the event of chemical or biological agents being used against them.
	Dstl Porton Down submits annual returns to the Home Office detailing the number of procedures undertaken which involve the use of animals as defined in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. In the years 2001 to 2005 the annual returns to the Home Office for non-human primates are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			   Number of procedures on non-human primates 
			 2001 68 
			 2002 42 
			 2003 23 
			 2004 30 
			 2005 54 
		
	
	The use of animals is only a very small aspect of the overall military research programme. The role of Dstl protecting the UK and its armed forces requires it to answer questions and develop solutions to problems that cannot currently be addressed without the use of animals in research. The use of animals is only undertaken if there is no suitable non-animal system which can be used.
	Dstl continually seeks alternatives to working with animals and specifically addresses ways in which animal use can be reduced and refined.
	Dstl pays particular attention to the relative strengths and weaknesses of different animal models. Species selection is a critical feature in optimising the confidence with which animal-derived data can be extrapolated to man. Non-human primates are reserved for pivotal bridging studies designed to answer questions primarily concerned with nervous system function, behaviour and aspects of immunology.
	Over the last five years non-human primates (marmosets or rhesus monkeys) have been involved in research:
	(i) to refine nerve agent pre-treatments and therapies,
	(ii) to assess vaccines and therapies against anthrax,
	(iii) to develop an effective animal model for hookworm infection with a view to utilisation in vaccine studies,
	(iv) to evaluate the hazard to man of new, emerging threat agents,
	(v) to investigate the possible interactions of multiple vaccinations.
	Wherever possible, the results of this research has, or will be, published in the open technical literature.

Military Vehicles

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the suitability of the Snatch Land Rover for operations in Iraq; what steps he is taking to safeguard British troops in Iraq; and what off-the-shelf purchases to replace or supplement Snatch Land Rovers have been made since the start of the military action in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: Commanders need a range of vehicles to be used as they see fit to meet the mission and counter the threat. The Snatch Land Rover will remain an appropriate vehicle for some tasks, but the need to provide enhanced protection against the threats currently faced in Iraq and Afghanistan was a key factor in the decision to procure rapidly a suite of new Protected Patrol Vehicles.
	We announced on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 74WS, the procurement of almost 400 vehicles with improved protection for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, including Mastiff (the UK variant of the Cougar), Vector and Bulldog (up-armoured FV430). These will provide commanders with a range of vehicles of varying protection, mobility and profile, to be used according to operational circumstances.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions he has visited  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: Defence Ministers have made the following number of official visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over the last 12 months.
	
		
			   Scotland  Wales  Northern Ireland 
			 Secretary of State 4 1 0 
			 Minister of the Armed Forces 12 1 3 
			 Minister for Defence Procurement 2 0 0 
			 Under Secretary of State 1 3 0

Missiles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department allocated towards missile defence research and development in  (a) 2004,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2006; and what the allocation is for 2007.

Des Browne: The expenditure on such research, spent through the UK Missile Defence Centre, was £6.411 million in financial year 2004-05, and £2.733 million in financial year 2005-06. The current financial year budget is £5.345 million, and the planned budget for 2007-08 is £5 million.

Missiles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK personnel from his Department were seconded to the US Missile Defense Agency in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006; what the expected number is in 2007; and how many US personnel were seconded to the UK Missile Defence Centre in each year.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1545W, to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth). There are no current plans to change these numbers in 2007.

Missiles

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the focus is of work undertaken by the Missile Defence Centre.

Des Browne: The Missile Defence Centre continues to focus on providing scientific and technical advice to the Ministry of Defence on strategic missile defence matters, and supports UK industrial opportunities in this area. It also supports US work on high technology programmes related to their own missile defence programme, including assessments of the consequences of missile intercepts, and the demonstration and testing of hardware.

Missiles

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the Harpoon missile.

Adam Ingram: Since 1977 the total estimated spend on the Harpoon missile system is some £250 million.

Nuclear Weapons

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether classified material relevant to the United Kingdom nuclear deterrent was compromised in the recent reported leak of documents from Los Alamos nuclear weapons laboratory.

Des Browne: No United Kingdom nuclear deterrent material was compromised.

Nuclear Weapons

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect on the continuation of  (a) Devonport and  (b) Faslane naval base of a decision not to proceed with a new generation of the nuclear deterrent.

Des Browne: Officials are working to prepare for decisions on the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent. This work is considering the implications for support infrastructure. It remains our intention that these decisions will be taken later this year, following which we will publish a White Paper.

Operation Enduring Freedom

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the number of British troops that will continue to take part in Operation Enduring Freedom operations from 1st August 2006.

Des Browne: The UK's detachment of Harrier GR7 aircraft continue to support both the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and coalition operations.
	UK trainers supporting Afghan National Army development in Kabul will also remain under coalition command, and the UK will continue to provide a number of embedded staff officers in the coalition headquarters. Overall, this amounts to around 180 personnel.

Parachute Regiment

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of 3(rd) Battalion the Parachute Regiment on 1 April 2006 were unfit for duty on 1 October 2006.

Derek Twigg: On 1 October 2006, nine members of 3(rd) Battalion the Parachute Regiment were unfit for any form of duty.

Parliamentary Questions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer question 71799 tabled on 16 May 2006; and if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on answering parliamentary Questions.

Adam Ingram: I replied to the hon. Member earlier today. The Ministry of Defence strives to provide an answer to all parliamentary questions within the required time frame.

Pensions

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received on extending the widow's and widower's pension under the armed forces pension scheme to post-retirement marriages; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Ex-service and widows' groups continue to campaign to make retrospective certain pension improvements that have been made since they left the armed forces. One such improvement is in respect of the change in 1978 to the requirement for a widow/widower to have been married to the ex-serviceman or woman during their service in order to receive certain benefits.
	Successive Governments have considered retrospective changes to public sector pension schemes to be unaffordable. For this reason, the Government opposed the amendments.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the annual revenue yield from the introduction of an employee pension contribution of 6 per cent. of pay for all members of the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The armed forces pension schemes are final salary based, non-contributory, contracted-out occupational pension schemes open to most members of the armed forces. The MOD does, however, make a substantial contribution into the schemes each year for current members, currently the overall contribution equates to 24.8 per cent. of the armed forces pay bill.
	The non-contributory nature of the schemes was last reviewed as part of the major overhaul of the schemes which were introduced through the Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Act 2004. The Government decided against an employee's contribution at that time because of the complexity of introducing a contributory scheme alongside a non contributory scheme, the administrative complexity and the cost of the change, the impact on personnel of issuing different rates of pay for the same job and the effect on morale, recruitment and retention (HC1155 dated 25 July 2002). The changes made as a result of the review addressed the matter of long term affordability, such as increases in longevity, by rebalancing the provision to take account of modern pension practices and legislative change, and by changing the preserved pension ages.
	The Armed Forces Pay Review Body, in their recommendations on the total remuneration package for the armed forces, makes an adjustment to comparator earnings figures to take account of the higher relative value of the armed forces pension scheme benefits against that of pension schemes of comparator private sector organisations. The non-contributory nature of the scheme is one of the factors taken in to account. The level of the adjustment made is currently 7 per cent.
	The MOD has not previously made an estimate of the annual revenue yield from introducing an employee contribution of 6 per cent. Taking the armed forces pay bill for 2005-06 as a basis for the calculation, a 6 per cent. employee contribution would equate to £342 million.

Projects Haven and Scribe

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what procedures he has put in place under Project Haven and Project Scribe to invite applications from ex-service personnel who believe they may be entitled to compensation under the initiatives;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to increase awareness among ex-service personnel of their possible entitlement to compensation under the Project Haven and Project Scribe initiatives;
	(3)  what criteria were set by his Department for the assessment of eligibility for compensation under the Project Haven and Project Scribe initiative;
	(4)  how many ex-service personnel have been paid compensation under Project Haven and Project Scribe; and what the cost of such compensation was;
	(5)  what procedures he plans to put in place to ensure that ex-service personnel whose claim for compensation under Project Haven or Project Scribe is refused can have their case independently assessed;
	(6)  how many assessments of entitlement under the Project Haven and Project Scribe initiatives resulted in no compensation being paid;
	(7)  what procedures he has put in place to ensure that the assessment of entitlement to compensation under Project Haven and Project Scribe is subject to independent scrutiny.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence fully publicised Project Haven in the national media and in ex-service organisations publications, along with information on our websites. All material advised how an individual could make a claim to correct their tax status. In Project Scribe there was no national media campaign; however, information about the error regarding Armed Forces Pension Scheme invaliding pensions, was sent to all individuals who were in receipt of a War Pensions Scheme disablement pension, widows or widowers pension, in the form of a "War Pensions Newsletter". This group of pensioners were at risk and therefore they were advised how to make a claim. In addition, information was posted on our websites, and towards the end of the review ex-service organisations kindly published details about the error and how to make a claim in their publications.
	In both projects individuals were not invited to make a claim for compensation but to contact the Department to correct the tax status or level of their pension and claim any back payments of pension or tax. Once an individual had been identified as receiving incorrect payments etc. interest was paid in accordance with Government Accounting and HM Revenue and Customs rules and additional recompense as agreed by the Department.
	This publicity was considered the most appropriate at the time the errors were established and during the review period. There are no plans to increase the level of awareness for Projects Haven and Scribe as we are confident that we have identified all those affected and have made the necessary corrections plus interest and compensation payments where appropriate.
	The criteria for the payment of compensation in Project Haven and Scribe was set out in written ministerial statements on 15 December 2003,  Official Report, column 130WS, and 15 June 2004,  Official Report, column 26WS, respectively.
	In his written ministerial statement of 11 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 60-61WS, my predecessor reported that some 5,500 pension awards under both projects had been corrected at a cost of £32.4 million plus some £18.2 million paid in compensation. Approximately 1,600 individuals whose pension or tax status was corrected did not receive compensation. There are a number of reasons why an individual may not have received compensation, for example, an individual's pension was recorded as "taxable", however, as the value of the pension was below the tax threshold, they had not paid tax.
	The Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency (AFPAA) was responsible for assessing the entitlement to compensation in each case according to the methodology set by the Department. There are no independent procedures in place to ensure that the individual's assessment is correct; however, AFPAA's own internal project team undertook an audit on a proportion of the cases. The compensation methodology was available to all individuals and if an individual considers that this has not been followed AFPAA will investigate and provide a detailed breakdown of the compensation. Likewise where an individual has not received compensation and they consider that they should have, the appeal will be considered initially under the Department's statutory Internal Dispute Resolution procedures. Following this appeal route an individual may seek the services of the Occupational Pensions Advisory Service and the pensions ombudsman, both of whom are independent.

Proliferation Security Initiative

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in how many operations the Royal Navy took part in 2005 as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative; and in how many such operations it has taken part in 2006.

Des Browne: The Royal Navy has not taken part in any operations as part of the Proliferation Security Initiative in 2005 or 2006.

QinetiQ

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken to ensure that former directors of QinetiQ now working for the Investment Approvals Board have no conflict of interest relating to projects for which QinetiQ is bidding.

Adam Ingram: None of the current members of the Ministry of Defence's Investment Approvals Board (IAB) are, or ever have been, directors of QinetiQ.

Service Personnel

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the full complement is of  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses and  (c) dentists in the (i) Army, (ii) Royal Air Force and (iii) Royal Navy; how many are employed in each category; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The two key outputs of the Defence Medical Services (DMS) are medical support to deployed operations, and the provision of health care to the armed forces to ensure that the maximum possible numbers of armed forces personnel are fit for purpose. The DMS will continue to deliver both outputs, working where appropriate with coalition partners, the NHS, private health care providers and the charity sector. The DMS have met all operational requirements placed on them. Medical support to deployed operations is absolutely vital and there is no question of British forces deploying on military operations without the appropriate medical support.
	The current official, formally endorsed DMS manning requirement figures were drawn up as a consequence of the Strategic Defence Review (SDR) in 1998. Since then, however, overall defence planning assumptions have changed and DMS manning requirement figures have evolved. In order to support the defence planning assumptions contained within Defence Strategic Guidance 03, the Defence Medical Capability (DMC) Phase 2 Study was carried out. The DMC study produced interim revised DMS manning requirement figures which more accurately reflect defence planning assumptions and have thus overtaken the SDR figures. Indeed, the Ministry of Defence has previously released elements of the interim revised manning requirements, in anticipation of a new definitive set of figures (as in a previous answer to the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean on 9 February 2006,  Official Report, column 1402W).
	However, the DMC figures are themselves only interim. The overall DMS manning requirement is currently under review against the strategic requirement, and the figures will change. I anticipate that new endorsed DMS manning requirement figures will be available later this year.
	The following table show the manning levels as at July 2006 in the specialties of general medical practitioners, nurses and dental officers (requirement figures shown are the SDR figures and the DMC figures, but as explained, these are being revised):
	
		
			SDR Requirement  DMC Requirement  Trained Strength 
			 General Medical Practitioners RN 71 54 53 
			  ARMY 250 120 130 
			  RAF 130 94 73 
			 Nurses RN 320 220 290 
			  ARMY 1,080 1,000 590 
			  RAF 490 450 420 
			 Dental Officers RN 58 62 57 
			  ARMY 140 120 130 
			  RAF 63 55 67 
			  Notes:  1. Figures above 100 have been rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Figures are the trained strength for each cadre in each service and include some specialists working out of specialty in headquarter posts.   Source:  DMSD

Service Personnel

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints about incorrect pay have been received from service personnel in each of the services in each year since 2001.

Derek Twigg: Prior to Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) rollout to the RAF on 20 March 2006, pay complaints were dealt with by the individual's unit human resources staff and details of the number of complaints received were not held centrally. This will continue to be the case for the Royal Navy and the Army until rollout on 23 October 2006 and March 2007 respectively.
	As at 10 October 2006, 526 complaints had been received from RAF personnel via the centralised JPA complaints process about real or apparent problems with pay or the handling of a query.

Stress

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much public funding was given to Combat Stress in 2005-06.

Derek Twigg: The MOD provided £2.3 million funding to Combat Stress in 2005-06. Funds are provided through the War Pensions Scheme's discretionary power to meet the cost of any necessary expenses in respect of medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment of ex-members of the armed forces that arise wholly or mainly as a result of disablement due to service before 6 April 2005 where it is not provided for under other UK legislation. This includes the individual costs of war pensioners undergoing "remedial treatment" at homes run by Combat Stress for conditions related to their individual pensioned disablement and of related expenses such as travel costs. In addition, Combat Stress receives separate funding from the Scottish Health Board for war pensioners treatment at Hollybush House.

Trident

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the originally planned lifespan of the Vanguard-class Trident submarines is  (a) 25 and  (b) 30 years.

Des Browne: holding answer 1 November 2006
	The Vanguard-class submarines were procured with a designed operational life of 25 years.

Trident

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when a decision will have to be made on whether or not to participate in the Trident D5 missile life extension programme; and what the estimated cost is of participating in the programme.

Des Browne: holding answer 31 October 2006
	It remains our intention that decisions on the future of the UK's nuclear deterrent will be taken later this year, following which we will publish a White Paper. In this context, previously we have indicated in our response (published on 26 July 2006) to the First HCDC report on the Future of the UK's Strategic Nuclear Deterrent, that one of the early decisions required relates to possible UK participation in the life extension programme for the Trident D5 missile. The estimated costs of the options available for maintaining our nuclear deterrent will be set out in the White Paper.

Trident

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what method will be used for the decommissioning of Trident; and over what time scale he expects the decommissioning to take place.

Des Browne: holding answer 1 November 2006
	Decommissioning of the current Trident system is still some way off. It is therefore too early to discuss the precise methods that will be used to decommission Trident and over what time scales this will take place. Officials are however investigating these as part of the work to prepare for decisions, which will be taken later this year, on the future of the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.

UN Security Resolution 1325

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will make an assessment of the feasibility of including a mandatory module on UN Security Council resolution 1325 in armed forces operational training and guidance;
	(2)  what steps have been taken by his Department to increase awareness of UN Security Council resolution 1325 throughout the armed forces;
	(3)  what measures are in place to promote among members of the armed forces recognition of the disproportionate impact of conflict on women and girls.

Adam Ingram: The provisions of UNSCR 1325 are reflected in the training of UK service personnel in the Law of Armed Conflict and in the pre-deployment preparations. In addition, pre-deployment planning covers social and cultural issues, including specific gender issues that should be taken into account. The MOD has also commissioned an audit of the existing training provision, against both the resolution itself and the training outcomes identified in the UN's own training package on the resolution. The results of the audit should allow us to show more clearly how training is compliant, while also helping us identify any further training needs.

Veterans

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what health services are being provided to veterans of the Falkland Islands war.

Derek Twigg: Health care for veterans of the Falkland Islands conflict who are still serving is provided by the Defence Medical Services. Once they leave the armed forces, responsibility passes to the NHS, as it does for all former UK-based service personnel. If a veteran is also a war pensioner then he or she will be entitled to priority NHS treatment for the accepted condition(s); priority is decided by the clinician in charge and is subject to clinical need. The Government also funds care provided by the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society (Combat Stress) for those with an appropriate condition accepted as being caused or made worse by service.

TREASURY

Climate Change

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his timetable is for discussing the Stern review on the economics of climate change with  (a) UK (i) business and (ii) environmental stakeholders and  (b) the European Union and other international decision makers.

John Healey: The Chancellor will incorporate discussions of the review of the economics of climate change into his regular discussions with UK business, environmental stakeholders, the EU and international decision makers.

Departmental Estate

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much floor space his Department occupies.

John Healey: holding answer 30 October 2006
	The net internal area of 1 Horse Guards Road is 31,200 sq m. The building is occupied by staff of the Cabinet Office and the Office of Government Commerce as well as by the Treasury, and also provides support facilities shared with HMRC staff in 100 Parliament Street.

Departmental Expenditure

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1256W, on gym facilities (HM Treasury), whether his Department subsidises the gymnasium.

John Healey: The Treasury provides accommodation for the gym in 1 Horse Guards Road. Running costs and equipment costs are met from membership subscriptions.

Departmental IT

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which IT contracts awarded by his Department in 2001-02 were subsequently abandoned; and what the value was of each such contract.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answerI gave to the hon. Member for Angus (Mr. Weir) on9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 285W.

Departmental IT

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on IT consultants in each year since 2001; and how many of those consultants worked on web-facing projects.

John Healey: The information requested is not readily available as the Department's financial systems do not separately record all amounts spent on consultancy for IT projects, or the element of consultancy that is given to web-facing projects.

Departmental Staff

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if his Department will  (a) carry out an age audit of its staff to establish an age profile of its work force,  (b) negotiate an age management policy with trade unions and employees to eliminate age discrimination and retain older workers,  (c) identify and support training needs and offer older staff flexible working to downshift towards retirement and  (d) extend to over-fifties the right to request to work flexibly and the right to training with paid time off; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury carries out regular age audits of its staff and has established an age profile of its work force. All human resources policies are under review, in consultation with the trade unions, to ensure that they comply with the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006.

Departmental Staff

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many members of staff left his Department due to bullying, discrimination or harassment in the last 12 months.

John Healey: There is no record of any member of staff of the Treasury having left the Department in the last 12 months as a result of bullying, discrimination or harassment.

Departmental Staff

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of staff turnover in his Department; and what proportion of employees in his Department left in the last 12 months.

John Healey: The latest available data on leavers and joiners is for 2004-05 and is published at the Cabinet Office statistics website http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/reports/2005/tables_and_charts/index.asp
	More up-to-date information on total headcount and joiners is available in the HM Treasury Departmental Report 2006 at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about/departmental_reports/dept_report2006.cfm

Departmental Websites

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was spent by his Department on maintaining its websites in 2005-06; and how many visits each website received during this period.

John Healey: HM Treasury spent £135,592 maintaining its websites in the financial year 2005-06.
	Visits for each website during this period were as follows:
	
		
			  Site address  Visits 
			 www.hm-treasury.gov.uk 1,303,359 
			 www.thegfp.treasury.gov.uk(1) 14,266 
			 www.euro.gov.uk (3)550,000 
			 www.financialreporting.gov.uk (4—) 
			 www.financialinclusion-taskforce.org.uk(2) 6,901 
			 www.ges.gov.uk 114,664 
			 www.csren.gov.uk 19,209 
			 www.isb.gov.uk (4)— 
			 www.redbox.gov.uk 66,457 
			 www.stakeholdersaving.gov.uk 22,873 
			 (1 )Statistics from the date site was launched—October 2005.  (2) Statistics from the date site was launched—19 May 2005.  (3 )Approximate figure. (4 )No statistics recorded.

Fraud

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the measures to protect savers with  (a) building societies,  (b) banks and  (c) credit unions from fraud.

Edward Balls: holding answer 2 November 2006
	The Treasury is responsible for the overall institutional structure of financial regulation and the legislation which governs it.
	The Financial Services Authority's powers and responsibilities are set out in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. These include the authorisation and prudential supervision of banks, building societies and credit unions.
	The FSA's rules require firms to take reasonable care to establish and maintain effective systems and controls for compliance with applicable requirements and standards under the regulatory system and for countering the risk that the firm might be used to further financial crime. The definition of financial crime includes fraud.
	The Chief Secretary, along with the Attorney-General, commissioned a review of the UK response to fraud which reported in the summer and has just been subject to consultation. The Attorney-General's office is assessing the responses to this consultation and we will work closely with them to identify any appropriate action.

Fuel (Duty/Prices)

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of fuel duty is on  (a) petrol and  (b) diesel in the UK; and what assessment he has made of such duties in the other EU member states.

John Healey: The duty rate for both ultra-low sulphur petrol and ultra-low sulphur diesel is 47.10 pence per litre.
	When taking decisions on fuel duty rates, the Chancellor of the Exchequer takes account of all relevant social economic, environmental and social considerations, including the rates of duty in other member states.

Fuel (Duty/Prices)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with oil producers on fuel prices.

John Healey: holding answer 2 November 2006
	Treasury Ministers and officials have regular meetings with oil producers and their representatives. Such meetings will cover a range of issues relating to the oil industry including fuel prices.

Pensions

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been affected by collapsed company pension schemes in  (a) the UK,  (b) North Tyneside,  (c) South Tyneside and  (d) Jarrow constituency in the last five years.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the information requested by region.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether an increase in public sector employee pension contribution rates counts as a reduction in Government spending in the national accounts; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how his Department treats  (a) increases and  (b) decreases in employee contributions to public sector pension schemes for accounting purposes; and what effects would such changes have on Government (i) spending and (ii) receipts; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Total Managed Expenditure (TME), the Government's preferred measure of expenditure drawn from the National Accounts, nets employee pension contributions off gross expenditure on pensions paid. This means that an increase in employee contribution rates without any commensurate increase in salaries or pension benefits would reduce TME. Government receipts, which finance TME, are unaffected by pension contributions, as these net off within TME.
	Contributions that employees make to funded public service pension schemes, such as the Local Government Pension Scheme and funded pension schemes in the wider public sector, are treated as income to the individual funds and are not netted off in TME as described above.

Population Statistics

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many births were registered in each local authority in the north east region in each of the last 10 years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 6 November 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your question about how many births were registered in each local authority in the North East Region in each of the last 10 years. I am replying in her absence. (99857).
	The latest year for which figures are available is 2005. The numbers of births to women resident in each of the local authorities requested in the years 1996 to 2005 are shown in the attached table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Live births by area of usual residence, local and unitary authorities( 1)  in the north east government office region. 1996 to 2005 
			   1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Darlington UA 1,189 1,177 1,163 1,188 1,053 1,078 1,139 1,179 1,254 1,218 
			 Hartlepool UA 1,130 1,107 1,096 1,081 1,063 1,031 1,010 1,065 1,073 1,116 
			 Middlesbrough UA 1,937 1,919 1,802 1,827 1,781 1,666 1,695 1,786 1,849 1,916 
			 Redcar and Cleveland UA 1,705 1,602 1,559 1,490 1,365 1,432 1,357 1,446 1,509 1,577 
			 Stockton-on-Tees UA 2,226 2,107 2,097 2,066 1,963 1,942 2,016 2,115 2,117 2,241 
			 Chester-le-Street 640 687 659 600 595 523 551 540 536 537 
			 Derwentside 1,014 969 955 899 911 872 840 877 899 922 
			 Durham 835 831 829 857 780 715 801 790 806 788 
			 Easington 1,202 1,179 1,165 1,058 928 933 987 921 1,103 1,069 
			 Sedgefield 1,040 985 1,040 964 913 918 889 974 1,045 958 
			 Teesdale 227 247 230 223 216 183 185 188 229 193 
			 Wear Valley 743 702 683 661 644 624 647 639 726 722 
			 Alnwick 323 321 336 309 265 290 270 275 281 296 
			 Berwick-upon-Tweed 231 194 196 217 165 180 175 200 176 194 
			 Blyth Valley 955 928 921 921 866 883 807 868 865 975 
			 Castle Morpeth 459 463 429 407 372 378 382 379 396 368 
			 Tynedale 540 533 565 537 506 522 512 531 562 516 
			 Wansbeck 768 719 752 686 624 628 616 681 672 675 
			 Gateshead 2,300 2,327 2,162 2,109 2,070 1,995 2,012 2,020 2,128 2,118 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 3,249 3,188 3,034 2,879 2,887 2,875 2,941 2,895 2,918 2,979 
			 North Tyneside 2,179 2,145 2,171 2,006 2,052 1,949 2,042 2,101 2,160 2,274 
			 South Tyneside 1,761 1,763 1,653 1,643 1,521 1,479 1,467 1,523 1,540 1,529 
			 Sunderland 3,448 3,311 3,223 3,111 2,959 2,853 2,930 3,012 2,971 3,068 
			 Total north east 30,101 29,404 28,720 27,739 26,499 25,949 26,271 27,005 27,815 28,249 
			 (1) Figures relate to local and unitary authority area boundaries at 1 April in the year in which the birth was registered.   Source:  ONS Key Population and Vital Statistics, Local and Health Authority Areas, Series VS nos. 23-31 and Population Trends no. 124.

Population Statistics

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the mortality rates were for socio-economic categories  (a) I,  (b) II  (c) III,  (d) IV, and  (e) V in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 6 November 2006:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the mortality rates were for social classes (a) I, (b) II, (c) III, (d) IV and (e) V in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (100061)
	Mortality rates by social class are calculated as three year averages. It is sometimes necessary to combine social classes, and to restrict the analysis to certain age groups, to produce reliable estimates. The table below provides, for men and women aged 35-64, the mortality rates in social classes (a) I and II combined, (b) III non-manual, (c) III manual, and (d) IV and V combined, in 1997-99 (the latest period available).
	
		
			  Table 1. Age-standardised mortality rates( 1)  by social class, men and women aged 35 to 64, England and Wales, 1997-99( 2,3) 
			  Deaths per 100,000 
			   Male  Female 
			  Social class  Mortality rate  95 per cent. confidence interval( 4)  Mortality rate  95 per cent. confidence interval 
			 I and II Professional and intermediate 347 (302-399) 237 (201-281) 
			 IIIN Skilled manual 417 (352-494) 253 (211-304) 
			 IIIM Skilled non-manual 512 (472-556) 327 (290-369) 
			 IV and V Partly skilled and unskilled 606 (546-672) 335 (289-388) 
			 (1) Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages.  (2) These figures are based on the ONS Longitudinal Study, a representative 1 per cent. sample of the population of England and Wales.  (3) Three year averages, based on deaths of members of the ONS Longitudinal Study in the years 1997-99 and the study population at risk of death during that period.  (4) Confidence intervals are a measure of the statistical precision of an estimate and show the range of uncertainty around the estimated figure. Calculations based on small numbers of events are often subject to random fluctuations. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures.

Public Spectrum Sale

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to publish plans for the sale and release of public spectrum.

John Healey: The Government will publish a strategic Forward Look, assessing the public sector's current spectrum use and forecasting future needs, in March 2007.

Research Contracts

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value is of public sector research contracts granted to small technology intensive companies since 16 March 2005; and how many small technology intensive companies have won such contracts.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government do not collate figures regarding the total value of public sector research contracts granted to small technology intensive companies. The cost and effort involved would be disproportionate given the number and variety of authorities and organizations involved.
	However, there are figures for a subset of public sector spend, namely Government expenditure on extramural R and D under the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), which is designed to stimulate and increase the demand for research and development from high tech small firms. The participating Departments purchase at least 2.5 per cent. of their extramural R and D from SMEs. The value of contracts made with SMEs was £269.1 million, representing 10.6 per cent. of the baseline budget. SBRI figures for 2005-06 will be published shortly.

Sale of Assets

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which local authorities have retained income from the sale of assets as set out in Budget 2006, Table C16.

John Healey: In 2004-05, local authorities in the United Kingdom secured fixed asset sales of £5.2 billion as set out in Table C16, Budget 2006. Apart from certain housing land and dwellings receipts in England that are required to be pooled, local authorities are free to use the proceeds of asset sales to fund new capital expenditure, reduce indebtedness or to increase investments. The level of receipts retained by each individual authority on 2004-05 is set out in the tables that are available from DCLG, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly and the Department for Finance and Personnel Northern Ireland and have been deposited in the Library of the House.

Terrorist Finance

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 16 February 2006,  Official Report, column 2421W, on terrorist activities (financing), on which date the structure, focus and membership of the review to safeguard the charitable sector from terrorist finance was established; which other Government Departments were consulted; what the membership of the review team is; what the terms of reference of the review are; which organisations, excluding Government Departments  (a) have been consulted and  (b) have provided evidence to the review; when the review will be completed; when the report will be made available to Parliament; what consultation will be carried out on the report's recommendations; and whether the recommendations will be made public before the Financial Action Task Force evaluates UK money laundering and terrorist finance measures.

Tony McNulty: I have been asked to reply.
	On 13 February, the Chancellor announced that the Government would
	"review how best to strengthen the safeguards to protect the charitable sector from terrorist abuse and protect donor confidence in so doing".
	The terms of reference were agreed in July 2006. The review will report to the Home Secretary and the Chancellor of the Exchequer in November.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what her most recent assessment is of the capacity of the Afghan armed forces to fulfil a role in the security and stabilisation of Afghanistan.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	Developing effective Afghan National Security Forces is crucial to lasting stability in Afghanistan. So far, good progress has been made, with the Afghan Minister for Defence recently stating that there are now 34,000 officers, NCOs and soldiers in the Afghan National Army (ANA). The ANA is ethnically balanced and well trained, factors that contribute to the high regard it is held in by the population. Those troops deployed in Helmand have fought bravely and effectively alongside our own, enduring considerable sacrifice in pursuit of their own country's security. ANA leadership and capabilities are developing well but it will take time and continued support before they are ready to take on this task independently.

Algeria

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation in Algeria, with particular reference to its application to human rights violations by the security forces.

Kim Howells: The Algerian people voted for the 'Charter for Peace and National Reconciliation' in a referendum in 2005. The Charter, which came into force in February 2006, granted an amnesty to those convicted of terrorist offences or who were prepared to surrender themselves to the security services. The amnesty also extended to government security forces. More than 2,000 terrorist prisoners have since been released under the Charter. In addition the Charter provides for the families of victims of terrorism to register the disappearance or death of their relative and obtain compensation.
	The EU issued a statement when the Charter was adopted welcoming the participation of the Algerian people in the referendum and expressing the hope that Algeria will achieve lasting peace and reconciliation, based on the rule of law, respect for human rights and ongoing consultations with its citizens.

Algeria

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps she is taking to address human rights violations in Algeria, with particular reference to the torture of detainees accused of terrorism.

Kim Howells: Promotion of human rights is central to the UK's foreign policy. We aim to encourage improved standards through a constructive bilateral relationship with Algeria. We regularly raise human rights in our bilateral discussions with the Algerian Government. I did so during the inaugural UK-Algeria Ministerial Dialogue Forum held in Algiers on 7 June, which I co-chaired with the Algerian Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdelkader Messahel.
	In 2005 the Algerian Government introduced legislation making torture a criminal offence. I am pleased that Amnesty International's memorandum of April 2006 to the Algerian President, highlights that there have been fewer allegations of torture in police custody, and progress has been made on strengthening safeguards to protect detainees.
	In February 2006 the UK sponsored a visit by senior Algerian judges and Ministry of Justice officials to the British judicial and penal systems. We have also funded and facilitated the International Centre for Prison Studies at King's College London in developing links with the Algerian prison system. In September 2006 the UK established a new post of a police attaché in our embassy in Algiers to develop links with the Algerian counter terrorism and police forces.

Algeria

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) assessment the UK Government have made of and  (b) representations the Government have made to the Algerian authorities on the case of Majid Touati.

Kim Howells: The Government are aware of reports about the detention and trial of Majid Touati. We have not made an assessment of the case.
	Promotion of human rights is central to the UK's foreign policy and we aim to do so through a constructive bilateral relationship with Algeria. We regularly raise human rights in our bilateral discussions with the Algerian Government. I did so during the inaugural UK-Algeria Ministerial Dialogue Forum in Algiers on 7 June, which I co-chaired with the Algerian Deputy Foreign Minister, Dr. Abdelkader Messahel.

Bolivia

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to widen and develop relations with the government of Bolivia.

Geoff Hoon: Our relationship with Bolivia is developing all the time. We maintain a dialogue with the Bolivian government and we engage, both bilaterally and through the EU, on a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including for example counter-narcotics and energy. The UK also supports projects at national and local government level.

Burma

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the freezing of assets of officials of the Burmese regime throughout the European Union.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 1 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 465-66W.

Burma

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she has had any recent discussions with the Burmese government about Aung San Su Kyi; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have repeatedly called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners in Burma.
	I raised Aung San Suu Kyi's continuing detention with the Burmese Ambassador on 15 June and in a letter to the Burmese Foreign Minister on 5 July.
	I again raised the Governments concerns about the Burmese government's human rights record with the Burmese Ambassador at a meeting with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Ambassadors on 18 September.
	Most recently, our Permanent Representative to the UN called for Aung San Suu Kyi's release during discussions at the UN Security Council on 29 September in the presence of the Burmese Permanent Representative to the UN.

Careers Fairs

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many career fairs were held by her Department in each of the UK regions in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has held one career event in London every year since 1999 with the exception of 2005 when the event was cancelled due to security concerns.
	In addition, the FCO attends regional career fairs organised by both educational establishments and external companies. The events attended may be linked to a specific university or region or may target specific groups, for example students from ethnic minority backgrounds.
	
		
			   Number 
			  2006  
			 Total Career Fairs: 6 
			   
			 London 3 
			 Birmingham 1 
			 Bristol 1 
			 Cardiff (confirmed 9 and 10 November) 1 
			   
			  2005  
			 Total Career Fairs: 0 
			   
			  2004  
			 Total Career Fairs: 20 
			   
			 London 5 
			 Lancaster 2 
			 Peterborough 1 
			 Aberystwyth 1 
			 East Anglia 1 
			 Rugby 1 
			 Liverpool 1 
			 Leicester 1 
			 Oxford 1 
			 Middlesex 1 
			 Manchester 1 
			 Cambridge 1 
			 Durham 1 
			 Glasgow 1 
			 Warwick 1 
			  2003  
			 Total Career Fairs: 37 
			 London 12 
			 Glasgow 2 
			 Manchester 2 
			 Edinburgh 2 
			 Liverpool 2 
			 Swansea 2 
			 Lancashire 1 
			 Warwick 1 
			 Sheffield 1 
			 Belfast 1 
			 Lincoln 1 
			 Durham 1 
			 Oxford 1 
			 Bath 1 
			 Brighton 1 
			 York 1 
			 Northumbria 1 
			 Leicester 1 
			 Lancaster 1 
			 Middlesex 1 
			 Aberystwyth 1 
			   
			  2002  
			 Total Career Fairs: 52 
			   
			 London 18 
			 Leicester 2 
			 Birmingham 2 
			 Newcastle 2 
			 Cardiff 1 
			 Swansea 1 
			 Belfast 1 
			 Aberdeen 1 
			 Aberystwyth 1 
			 Bath 1 
			 Bristol 1 
			 Cambridge 1 
			 Lancashire 1 
			 Coventry 1 
			 Durham 1 
			 East Anglia 1 
			 Norwich 1 
			 Edinburgh 1 
			 Exeter 1 
			 Sheffield 1 
			 Southampton 1 
			 Sussex 1 
			 Manchester 1 
			 Warwick 1 
			 Wolverhampton 1 
			 York 1 
			 Lampeter 1 
			 Lancaster 1 
			 Liverpool 1 
			 Middlesex 1 
			 Oxford 1 
			 Glasgow 1

China

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Chinese government about emissions from underground coalmine fires.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met Foreign Minister Li in September and underlined the importance of UK-China partnership on the challenges of achieving climate and energy security. She did not address specifically emissions from underground coal fire, but she did address how to meet China's energy efficiency and security interests. Discussions were focussed on how to reduce CO2 emissions through the deployment of clean technology for burning coal, such as carbon capture and storage and the UK funded initiative to demonstrate near zero emissions coal in China.

China

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has made to the Government of China concerning the use of the death penalty; and what response has been received.

Ian McCartney: We continue to press the Chinese Government to reduce the number of crimes that carry the death penalty and to improve transparency on the number of people executed in China, which remains a state secret. My noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor raised the death penalty with the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference on 24 October. We also raised this issue at the last round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in July. We welcome the announcement that China's Supreme People's Court will take back the power of review of death sentences from 1 January 2007, which we hope will reduce the number of sentences carried out.

Cyprus

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to Turkey and north Cyprus concerning the desecration of  (a) Greek Cypriot cemeteries in Northern Cyprus and  (b) the cemetery in Morphou considered part of the Turkish army base; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: We are aware of the desecration of Greek Cypriot cemeteries in northern Cyprus since 1974 and sympathise with all those affected by this unacceptable behaviour. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe is seized of the issue, and we support them in their efforts. We encourage all parties to make progress towards the protection of these religious sites.

Democracy

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which institutions are in receipt of UK Government funding to promote democracy around the world.

Geoff Hoon: A wide range of institutions and organisations receive Government support for activities which promote the development of democratic processes and institutions. The promotion of democracy cannot be separated from wider work to promote human rights, good governance and the rule of law; the Government sees these as interdependent and mutually reinforcing.
	One main channel for UK bilateral work is through the grant in aid to the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) directly supports institutions and organisations involved in democracy promotion through the Global Opportunities Fund (GOF), in particular the Sustainable Development, Reuniting of Europe, Engaging with the Islamic World, and Economic Governance programmes.
	We also provide financial contributions to a number of international multilateral organisations which are involved in promoting democracy, including, in some cases, through election observation missions. These include the European Union, in particular through the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR); the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, in particular its Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR); the Council of Europe; and the UN, including the recently established UN Democracy Fund, as well as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
	Further information on the FCO's work to promote democracy is given in chapter 9 of the 2006 FCO Annual Report on Human Rights, published on 12 October 2006, which can also be found on the FCO website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/hr_report2006.pdf. Copies of the report are also available in the Library of the House. Further details of GOF work will be provided in the GOF Annual Report for 2005-06, to be published as a Command Paper on 14 November 2006, which will also be made available on the FCO website at: www.fco.gov.uk.

Departmental Staff/Secondments

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many BP employees are on secondment to her Department; what areas they are working on; on what terms; and how many BP employees have been on secondment to her Department in each year since January 2002.

Geoff Hoon: There are currently no BP employeeson secondment to this Department. We have recordsof only one BP employee being on secondmentsince January 2002, and that secondment ended on6 September 2002.

Departmental Staff/Secondments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1277W, on departmental staff (education), how many work experience placements were given to  (a) students and  (b) workers in each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Geoff Hoon: In 2006, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) offered work experience placements to 48 candidates. The total number of student placements was 43, while five candidates were not in full-time education. The regions listed refer to the home location of all candidates.
	
		
			  Region  Number 
			  Students  
			 Bristol 1 
			 London 14 
			 Devon 1 
			 Dorset 1 
			 Leicester 1 
			 Chigwell 1 
			 Middlesex 1 
			 Staffordshire 1 
			 Manchester 1 
			 Oxford 1 
			 Surrey 1 
			 Essex 1 
			 Kent 2 
			 York 1 
			 Jersey 1 
			 Edinburgh 1 
			 Bristol 1 
			 Lincolnshire 1 
			 Aberdeen 1 
			 Glasgow 1 
			 Coventry 1 
			 North Wales 1 
			 Buckinghamshire 1 
			 North Hants 1 
			 Berkshire 1 
			 Bath 3 
			   
			  Non students  
			 London 3 
			 Oxford 1 
			 Ilford 1 
		
	
	In 2005, the FCO offered work experience placements to 25 candidates. All candidates were students.
	
		
			  2005 
			  Region  Number 
			  Students  
			 Hainault 1 
			 London 6 
			 Co. Antrim 1 
			 Norfolk 1 
			 Gwynedd 1 
			 Berkshire 1 
			 Hertfordshire 1 
			 Kent 1 
			 Bath 3 
			 Middlesex 1 
			 Durham 1 
			 West Midlands 1 
			 Brighton 1 
			 Edinburgh 1 
			 Suffolk 1 
			 Harrow 1 
			 Manchester 1 
			 Cambridge 1 
		
	
	The FCO information management system does not hold information on the regional location of work experience candidates prior to 2005. Details on the number of candidates placed each year since 2001 are listed for reference.
	
		
			  Student  Number 
			 2004 33 
			 2003 30 
			 2002 39 
			 2001 52

Departmental Staff/Secondments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2006,  Official Report, column 1277W, on departmental staff (education), how many community business events aimed at encouraging a diversified work force were held in each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Geoff Hoon: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 25 July 2006,  Official Report, columns 1272-73W about recruiting a diverse work force. As part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) outreach activities to widen and deepen its policy engagement with UK regions and faith communities to help deliver the UK's international strategic priorities, we visit areas with significant minority ethnic communities where we meet UK civil society, including local businessmen and women and attend events organised by them. A wide range of people, including representatives of local businesses, are invited to attend events such as seminars in different areas of the UK, aimed at raising awareness of what the FCO does and why it matters. The FCO has also been represented at various ethnic business awards ceremonies held in London but attended by representatives of regional businesses. One of the objectives for all these events is to try to break down stereotypes of FCO staff and to encourage applications which will make our work force more diverse. Events involving business/faith for the period 2005-06 to date (the period for which figures are available) are listed as follows. More than one event was scheduled on certain days, in the interests of value for money. FCO officials could provide further information on outreach on request from my hon. Friend.
	
		
			   Number 
			  2005  
			 Wales (Cardiff, Caerphilly and Bangor) 4 
			 Scotland (Glasgow) 2 
			 North West (Blackburn, Bolton, Preston) 7 
			 North (Leeds, Bradford, Manchester) 4 
			  2006  
			 Wales (Cardiff) 2 
			 Scotland (Glasgow, Edinburgh) 4 
			 North (Manchester) 1 
			 North West (Bolton) 1 
			 West (Bristol) 1 
			 Midlands (Birmingham, Leicester, West Bromwich) 5

Diplomatic Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many serving  (a) Heads of Mission and  (b) Governors of Overseas Territories were born in each of the UK regions.

Geoff Hoon: In order to answer this question officials would need to contact all of our overseas missions and the overseas territories. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Diplomatic Service

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of the members of internal selection boards held by her Department to appoint ambassadors in the last five years were educated in  (a) the state school sector,  (b) the independent school sector,  (c) Oxford and Cambridge and  (d) other universities.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold this data as a matter of course on all its staff. The data has been collected in order to answer this question. Of the 42 current members of internal selection boards to appoint Heads of Mission, 19 (45 per cent.) were educated in the state school sector, 23 (55 per cent.) were educated in the independent school sector, 26 (62 per cent.) went to Oxford or Cambridge universities and 14 (33 per cent.) went to other universities. Two (5 per cent.) did not go to university. We do not keep historical information on the members of selection boards.
	All posts in the diplomatic service are filled on the basis of fair and open competition, through the internal selection boards of the FCO or, where appropriate, interview or selection panels involving external stakeholders for the post in question. Information on educational qualifications is of no relevance to the process of appointing Heads of Mission and is not sought by selection boards. The FCO is committed to recruiting a talented and diverse work force which reflects the society it serves, and its recruitment policies are designed to encourage applications from the widest possible range of backgrounds. The Department is active in outreach activities such as career fairs, work experience schemes and community business events, to support this policy.

Ethiopia

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the government of Ethiopia on the detention of political prisoners in that country.

Ian McCartney: We regularly make representations to the Government of Ethiopia about the detention of all those, including civil society representatives, detained in connection with political disturbances in 2005. Most recently, our ambassador in Addis Ababa raised our concerns with Prime Minister Meles Zenawi on 5 October 2006. In our discussions we raise the need for the trials of those charged to be transparent, independent and impartial. The international community is monitoring the trials and the internal situation in Ethiopia closely.

EU Finances

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent meetings Ministers in her Department have had with European Union counterparts concerning irregularities in EU spending identified by the European Court of Auditors; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: The Government as a whole considers it to be a matter of serious concern that the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has been unable to give a positive statement of assurance on the EU's accounts for the 12th year in succession. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers have not had the opportunity to discuss last month's European Court of Auditors Report with their EU counterparts, but EU Finance Ministers will consider the ECA Report on the 2005 EC Budget when it is presented at the 7 November Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting. We will continue to work with member states and the Commission to ensure that improvements are made to the management of EC funds for which they are responsible.

Iran

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what  (a) technical information and  (b) analysis she has received differentiating Iran's suspected nuclear weapons programme from a possible nuclear power programme.

Kim Howells: The nature of Iran's nuclear programme, its history of concealment, its continuing failure to co-operate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its refusal to take the steps required by the IAEA Board and UN Security Council have all contributed to international concern that its ambitions may not be, as it claims, solely peaceful.
	We are deeply concerned by Iran's uranium enrichment programme, which will help it develop the capability to produce fissile material suitable for use in nuclear weapons. While Iran's enrichment activities would also help it develop the capability to produce fissile material suitable for use as fuel in power reactors, Iran has no production technology that would enable it to manufacture fuel from any enriched material, nor—with the exception of a reactor being built at Bushehr, for which Russia is contracted to supply fuel for 10 years—any power reactors (operational or in construction) requiring fuel.
	The IAEA Director General, Dr. Mohammed ElBaradei, has produced regular reports since 2003 on Iran's nuclear programme. They have outlined serious outstanding questions that Iran needs to resolve. These include: how Iran came to possess and what use it made of a document on casting uranium hemispheres, whose only application is in nuclear weapons; why Iran conducted experiments on Polonium 210, which has virtually no civil use but can be used as a neutron initiator in nuclear weapons; why Iran's military has been involved in what it claims is a purely civil programme; and why Iran is constructing a heavy water research reactor for which there is little apparent civil need, yet which would be ideally suited for the production of plutonium for use in nuclear weapons. Successive IAEA reports have made clear that Iran is failing to co-operate fully in answering these questions. Dr. ElBaradei reiterated in his speech to the UN General Assembly on 30 October that
	'the IAEA continues... to be unable to confirm the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear programme, which is a matter of serious concern'.

Iraq

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of the people of Ashraf signed forms accepting their compliance with the conditions stipulated by the Commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq for their continued protection by the Multi-National Forces-Iraq;
	(2)  whether the letter of the Deputy Commander of the Multi National Force-Iraq to the people of Ashraf dated 21st July 2004 was on behalf of the International Coalition;
	(3)  on what date in February the headquarters of the Multi National Force-Iraq reaffirmed its commitment to Article 45 of the Geneva Convention relative to the treatment of civilian persons, 1949 in respect of the people of Ashraf; whether the communication made reference to the principle of non-refoulment; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  on what date the commander of the multi national coalition forces authorised the opening of bank accounts in Iraq by residents of Ashraf city;
	(5)  whether individuals in Ashraf have abrogated the undertakings they entered into with the commander of the Multi-National Force-Iraq and which were detailed in the signed agreements prepared by the force commander;
	(6)  if she will publish the communication dated 7th October 2005 from Major General William Brandenburg on behalf of the multi national coalition forces to the people of Ashraf; and if she will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	Camp Ashraf, near Baghdad, is outside the UK's area of responsibility in Iraq. As such, the UK has no responsibility for, or involvement with, Camp Ashraf or its residents. These are matters for the US and Iraqi Governments.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many and what percentage of information technology projects undertaken by or for her Department since 2001 have been delivered  (a) over budget,  (b) after their original deadline,  (c) on budget,  (d) under budget,  (e) on their original deadline and  (f) ahead of their original deadline.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office operates a devolved system of financial responsibility under which Directorates and overseas posts have the freedom to invest in non strategic IT systems designed to meet specific needs. Answers to the hon. Member's question would require exhaustive searches of records in the UK and overseas, and this could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much her Department has spent on  (a) equipment and  (b) consultants for (i) information technology and (ii) web-facing information technology projects in each year since 2001.

Geoff Hoon: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) undertakes a very wide range of IT-enabled projects. Strategic projects are managed centrally, but many others are delivered under a devolved system of financial responsibility under which Directorates and overseas posts have the freedom, subject to conformity with FCO technical standards and the need to demonstrate effective use of public funds, to invest in non-strategic IT systems designed to meet specific needs. FCO accounting practice does not make a distinction between expenditure on "information technology" and "web-facing information technology". It is not possible to provide a complete answer without incurring disproportionate cost.

Middle East

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law during the recent conflict in Lebanon.

Kim Howells: The UK has received a number of reports on Israel's compliance with International Humanitarian Law during the recent conflict in Lebanon. These include reports from human rights non-governmental organisations such as Amnesty International, and the visit report of the four UN special procedure mandate holders, which accuse both Israel and Hezbollah of serious violations of international humanitarian law.
	The UK has not conducted an investigation into Israel's conduct in Lebanon between 12 July and 14 August. The UK has always recognised Israel's legitimate right to self-defence. At the same time we made clear during the conflict our deep concern at the deaths of civilians and at the destruction of civilian infrastructure and consistently urged Israel to exercise utmost restraint and act in compliance with international humanitarian law. We believe that any credible allegations of improper conduct should be properly investigated and appropriate action taken by the Governments of Israel and Lebanon.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the ministerial responsibilities of her right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) have changed since the publication of the List of Ministerial Responsibilities in June 2006; and whether he speaks for the Government on European matters in the House.

Margaret Beckett: The responsibilities of my right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon), the Minister for Europe, remain unchanged from those set out in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities in June 2006. Both he and I speak for the Government on European matters in the House as appropriate.

Moldova

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports she has received on the Moldovan economy; and if she will make a statement.[R]

Geoff Hoon: Our embassy in Chisinau reports regularly on the political and economic situation in Moldova. We have also seen recent reports from the International Monetary Fund and the Economist Intelligence Unit on the Moldovan economy.
	Economic growth has slowed recently due to the impact of sharp increases in the gas price, and the continuing ban on wine exports to Russia. Despite these factors, we expect Moldova to achieve modest growth of 3 per cent. in 2006, down from 6 per cent. predicted earlier in the year, followed by a slight recovery in 2007.
	Moldova remains heavily dependent on remittances from Moldovans working overseas. Currently estimated at roughly US $l billion, remittances account for over 30 per cent. of gross domestic product (GDP), and through import taxes provided some 56 per cent. of the state budget. This has enabled the Government to run fiscal surpluses over the last few years, amounts they have used for repaying the principles on their debt. On the downside, this has meant significant proportion of the Moldovan labour force is productively employed outside of the country, leading to serious shortages in skilled labour.
	Moldova's debt remains high, but has fallen sharply in recent years from 100 per cent. of GDP in 2001, to 55 per cent. in 2005. In addition, Moldova received debt treatment from the Paris Club in early 2006, which has reduced debt service to the Paris Club by nearly 60 per cent.. The UK is not a creditor. The total stock of debt looks set to continue to decline over the next few years, despite the slowdown in economic growth.
	While generally sound fiscal and monetary policies are being pursued by the authorities, inflation has accelerated to 14 per cent. year-on-year on the back of continuing high remittances, rapid increases in real wages, increasing funds from donors and hikes in energy prices. As both remittances and gas prices are likely to rise again next year, the amount of disinflation the authorities will be able to achieve during 2007 will be limited.
	The combined effect of the wine ban and the gas price increase, however, means that we expect to see a worsening of Moldova's external position, with its current account deficit set to rise to around 18 per cent. of GDP in 2006, up from 5.6 per cent. in 2005.

North Korea

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the statement by General Burwell Bell of the United States Army that another nuclear test by the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea is expected; and what action she is taking  (a) to support United Nations sanctions against the regime and  (b) to prevent further nuclear tests.

Ian McCartney: We cannot rule out the possibility of another nuclear test; but we are encouraged by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) commitment to return to the Six Part Talks following talks in Beijing, which suggests a willingness not to escalate the situation further.
	We are bound to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1718 (2006), and are taking the necessary administrative and legislative measures domestically and in the EU. The onus is now on the DPRK Government to comply fully with the resolution.
	We believe that the current firm response of the international community represents the best means to resolve the current situation.

Sri Lanka

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects of the decision of Médecins Sans Frontières to withdraw from Jaffna.

Kim Howells: We understand that following irresponsible accusations in recent weeks in the Sri Lankan media of partisanship, and the apparent failure of the Sri Lankan government to regularise the status of their in-country staff, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) felt unable to operate safely in the Jaffna peninsula and withdrew from the area in mid-October. Given the security and humanitarian situation in Jaffna, where it is reported that over 50,000 of the civilian population has been displaced, and the wide international recognition of the impartial work of MSF in conflict areas this is regrettable. Our High Commission in Colombo raised concerns about MSF's position with Sri Lankan government ministers in early October.
	The withdrawal of MSF will unfortunately have a severe impact in the north of the Jaffna peninsula where there is already a shortage of basic medical services and supplies and patients may now have to travel to Jaffna city itself for medical treatment. We continue to urge all parties to allow relief workers and essential supplies access to all conflict affected areas to provide humanitarian assistance to those affected by the continuing violence.

Sudan

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in securing international support to encourage Sudan to accept UN Security Council Resolution 1706 for the deployment of a UN security force in Darfur.

Ian McCartney: A strong peacekeeping force is critical to efforts to resolve this terrible conflict. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and other colleagues have engaged African, Arab and other leaders to help persuade Sudan to co-operate. We have also engaged the Sudanese Government on this: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development met President Bashir on 16 October in Khartoum to press him to stop the violence, accept a UN peacekeeping force, implement the Darfur Peace Agreement and reach a political settlement with the non-signatories. My right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for International Development and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, met with the First Vice President of Sudan and President of Southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, on 30 and 31 October to reinforce this message and to urge him to use his influence with the Sudanese Government.
	The Sudanese Government has not yet heeded this international message nor abided by UN Security Council Resolution 1706. We urge it to do so, to bring peace to the long-suffering people of Darfur.

Terrorist Renditions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support the UK Government has given to the US Administration in facilitating the rendition of terrorist and other suspects since 1 May 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Government respect its obligations under UK and international law. We would not assist in any activity if to do so would put us in breach of UK law or our international obligations, including the UN Convention Against Torture.
	In respect of the allegations of transfer of persons through the UK, I refer the hon. Member to the Written Ministerial Statement made by the then Foreign Secretary my right hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Mr. Straw) on 20 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 37-38WS.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Consultants

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 4 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1798W, on consultants, 
	(1)  for what purposes her Department employed Eleri Evans;
	(2)  for what purposes her Department employed Issan Ghazni Partnership;
	(3)  for what purposes her Department employed CIMTECH;
	(4)  for what purposes her Department employed Design Systems Technology Ltd;
	(5)  for what purposes her Department employed Horwood Safety Limited;
	(6)  for what purposes her Department employed Analogue;
	(7)  for what purposes her Department employed Reshan Sandhu;
	(8)  for what purposes her Department employed Dennis Battle Associates;
	(9)  for what purposes her Department employed Rick Evans Ltd.;
	(10)  for what purposes her Department employed Mandural Ltd.;
	(11)  for what purposes her Department employed Largos Ltd.;
	(12)  for what purposes her Department employed Rene Caroyal;
	(13)  for what purposes her Department employed Elborough Consulting/TSO Consulting;
	(14)  for what purposes her Department employed Alexander Cameron Ltd.;
	(15)  for what purposes her Department employed Venn Group Ltd.;
	(16)  for what purposes her Department employed Professor Susskind;
	(17)  for what purposes her Department employed GIC Ltd.;
	(18)  for what purposes her Department employed Tribal MPC;
	(19)  for what purposes her Department employed Penna;
	(20)  for what purposes her Department employed Computer Sciences Corporation;
	(21)  for what purposes her Department employed Craigforth;
	(22)  for what purposes her Department employed UCL Consultants;
	(23)  for what purposes her Department employed Adult Learning Inspectorate;
	(24)  for what purposes her Department employed Hedra;
	(25)  for what purposes her Department employed Digital Public;
	(26)  for what purposes her Department employed David Coates;
	(27)  for what purposes her Department employed Ilogic Ventures;
	(28)  for what purposes her Department employed Punter Southall;
	(29)  for what purposes her Department employed Lexicon Ltd.;
	(30)  for what purposes her Department employed Maitland Consultancy;
	(31)  for what purposes her Department employed Haygarth Group;
	(32)  for what purposes her Department employed Ask Europe Plc.;
	(33)  for what purposes her Department employed IPPR Consulting Ltd.;
	(34)  for what purposes her Department employed Logica CMG UK Ltd.;
	(35)  for what purposes her Department employed Cleo Nicolau;
	(36)  for what purposes her Department employed Parity Resources;
	(37)  for what purposes her Department employed Synopsis Communication Consulting Limited;
	(38)  for what purposes her Department employed JMH Consultancy;
	(39)  for what purposes her Department employed Capita Resourcing;
	(40)  for what purposes her Department employed Hudson Global Resources;
	(41)  for what purposes her Department employed VP Treen and Associates;
	(42)  for what purposes her Department employed Chesterton;
	(43)  for what purposes her Department employed Cornwell Management Consultants;
	(44)  for what purposes her Department employed Watson Associates;
	(45)  for what purposes her Department employed NCC Services Ltd.;
	(46)  for what purposes her Department employed MORI;
	(47)  for what purposes her Department employed Assessment and Development Consultancy;
	(48)  for what purposes her Department employed Communication Engagement and Change Ltd.;
	(49)  for what purposes her Department employed John Garnett;
	(50)  for what purposes her Department employed Human Assets Ltd.;
	(51)  for what purposes her Department employed Methods Consulting;
	(52)  for what purposes her Department employed Gartner UK Ltd.;
	(53)  for what purposes her Department employed Anagram;
	(54)  for what purposes her Department employed Wheelers;
	(55)  for what purposes her Department employed Insight Consulting Ltd.;
	(56)  for what purposes her Department employed Hurd Rolland;
	(57)  for what purposes her Department employed Enodian Ltd.;
	(58)  for what purposes her Department employed BTF Associates;
	(59)  for what purposes her Department employed BTA Consulting;
	(60)  for what purposes her Department employed Ernst and Young LLP;
	(61)  for what purposes her Department employed The Ingram Partnership;
	(62)  for what purposes her Department employed DTZ Debenhan Tie Leung;
	(63)  for what purposes her Department employed ORC International;
	(64)  for what purposes her Department employed Towers Perrin;
	(65)  for what purposes her Department employed Mouchel Consulting Limited;
	(66)  for what purpose her Department employed KPMG;
	(67)  for what purpose her Department employed PA;
	(68)  for what purpose her Department employed Deloitte MCS Ltd.;
	(69)  for what purpose her Department employed PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Vera Baird: I refer the hon. Member to the document "Summary of Expenditure on Consultancy in DCA in 2004-05", a copy of which has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Coroners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what arrangements will be made for periods when coroners' offices are closed for contacting the next-of-kin within 24 hours of a death being reported.

Harriet Harman: Coroners are currently expected to have arrangements in place to ensure a 24 hour, seven day a week service to deal with deaths reported to them, including liaison with bereaved relatives. To reflect this good practice, a requirement to contact the next-of-kin within 24 hours of a death being reported is included in the charter for bereaved people which accompanies the draft Bill on coroner reform. The charter is an "illustrative draft" and its content, including specific targets, will be the subject of further consultation.

Coroners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what analysis was undertaken of the contracted hours and hours of overtime worked by  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time (i) coroners and (ii) coroners' officers in the preparation of the Coroner Reform Bill.

Harriet Harman: In England and Wales there are currently 32 full-time coroners, 86 part-time coroners and around 430 coroners' officers.
	The analysis of the impact on resources of the proposed legislation is set out in the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) that was published alongside the draft Bill.
	As the RIA shows, we have concluded that the reform proposals will not materially increase the caseload of the service. Therefore, providing the coroner service is currently being resourced adequately by the relevant local authorities. There should be no requirement to increase the overall hours provided by coroners or coroners' officers in a particular area.
	As we further develop the detail of our proposals, we will be carrying out analysis on the options for new coroner areas, and in particular whether changes in geography affect this position significantly.

Coroners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate has been made of the number of staff required to meet the additional commitments in the proposed Draft Charter for Bereaved People.

Harriet Harman: The charter included with the draft Bill is an "illustrative draft" and as such its content, including specific targets, will be the subject of further consultation. However, when finalised, the charter is intended to represent a level of service that each area should deliver within current staff numbers, provided that local authorities are, at that time, resourcing the service adequately.

Coroners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment has been made of the  (a) current workload and  (b) the expected workload under the proposed new arrangements in the Coroner Reform Bill of (i) coroners and (ii) coroners' officers.

Harriet Harman: Latest statistics show that, in total, coroners and coroners' officers dealt with 232,400 cases reported to them in 2005. The draft Bill proposals do not, of themselves, produce any increase in overall caseload or workload.

Coroners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs who the employer is of  (a) coroners and  (b) coroners' officers.

Harriet Harman: Coroners are not employees, but independent judicial officers, appointed by local authorities who also pay their salaries. In most cases coroners' officers are employed by the relevant police force, although a minority are employed by the relevant local authority.

Electoral Arrangements

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether her Department has initiated the procurement process to find providers of the e-voting pilots in the May 2007 local elections.

Bridget Prentice: My Department is currently conducting a procurement exercise to establish a framework of suppliers which was initiated by notice to the Official Journal of the European Union on 1 August.
	The framework will last until 2010 and be available to support local authority e-counting and e-voting pilots until that time.

Electoral Arrangements

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentation and handouts produced by her Department's head of electoral policy for his talk to the International Centre of Excellence for Local e-Democracy's conference in Budapest in July 2006.

Bridget Prentice: My Department's head of electoral policy attended the Budapest conference in July 2006 and participated in a debate entitled "Voting in our pyjamas—which channel is best?" This was a debate about the merits of different remote voting methods. He did not make a slide-based presentation or provide any handouts. However, I will place a copy of the notes that he used for his talk in the Library.

Electoral Arrangements

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on the percentage of individual identifiers on postal votes that must be verified against the original identifiers by returning officers during an election count.

Bridget Prentice: The draft Representation of the People (England and Wales) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2006 require a minimum of 20 per cent. of the personal identifiers supplied with postal votes to be verified before the election count. A returning officer has discretion to check more than the minimum 20 per cent.
	It is the responsibility of the Electoral Commission to issue guidance to returning officers. The Commission has advised that it intends to do so on the implementation of the Electoral Administration Act 2006. We understand that this guidance will include the Commission's advice to returning officers on the checking of identifiers.

Electoral Arrangements

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much funding the Government are providing to local authorities for local elections in 2007 to fund the new electoral arrangements introduced under the Electoral Administration Act 2006.

Bridget Prentice: Funding being provided to local authorities in England and Wales for elections in 2007 is expected to be in the region of £34 million. The final figure will depend on the precise cost of the new postal voting identifier arrangements.

Parliamentary Boundaries

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the timetable is for ratification and implementation of the new parliamentary boundaries for England.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 24 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1775W, in relation to the timetable for laying the draft Order to give effect to the new English constituencies.
	The subsequent timing of debates on the draft Order and the making of the Order in Council are matters for the Parliamentary Business Managers and the Privy Council respectively.
	Once the Order is made, it does not take effect until the next general election thereafter.

Political Donations

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the timetable for the end of double-reporting of donations by hon. Members.

Bridget Prentice: The Electoral Administration Act 2006 provides for the removal of the requirement for a Member of the House of Commons to report a donation to the Electoral Commission, where it is received either in his capacity as a Member of the House of Commons or in his capacity as a member of a registered political party.
	Section 59(3) and 59(4) of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 provide that the Electoral Commission must be satisfied that the House of Commons has the necessary arrangements in place to meet the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and the Secretary of State may not make a commencement order unless he is informed by the Commission that those arrangements are in place.
	The Department understands that the Electoral Commission and House of Commons authorities will be liaising closely in order to allow the Electoral Commission to make an assessment as to whether the House of Commons has the necessary arrangements in place to meet the requirements of the 2000 Act and—when appropriate—to recommend to the Secretary of State that the provisions of the 2006 Act may be commenced.

PRIME MINISTER

Department of Trade and Industry

David Laws: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has for the future of the Department of Trade and Industry as a separate Department of Government; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: The allocation of responsibilities across Government is kept under close review and changes to the machinery of government are made as and when necessary.

Departmental Expenditure

Oliver Heald: To ask the Prime Minister what the total cost of his Office was in each year since 1996-97.

Tony Blair: For figures before 2005-06, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 21 July 2005,  Official Report, column 1935W.
	Figures for 2005-06 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			   £ million 
			  2005-06  
			 Running costs excluding infrastructure 16.7 
			 Running costs including infrastructure 17.8 
		
	
	The increase in running costs (excluding infrastructure) was largely as a result of the UK's Presidency of the EU and G8 Conferences.

Departmental Telephone Numbers

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Prime Minister how many ministerial offices have 0870 telephone numbers on their headed notepaper; which are the Ministries concerned; and what instructions are given to the switchboards of each such Ministry about access to private offices.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given by the then Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Paul Boateng, to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) on 16 December 2004,  Official Report, columns 1237-38W.

Minister for Europe

Keith Simpson: To ask the Prime Minister in what capacity his right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) attends meetings of the Cabinet.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire (Mr. Vara) on 18 May 2006,  Official Report, column 1140W.

Ministerial Code

Peter Bone: To ask the Prime Minister what arrangements are in place to allow hon. Members to report the Prime Minister for alleged failure to comply with the Ministerial Code.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 5W.

Ministerial Travel

Greg Pope: To ask the Prime Minister what steps he has taken to offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by ministerial travel in his Office.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given by my noble Friend the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 10 July 2006,  Official Report, House of Lords, column WA95, and 25 July 2006,  Official Report, House of Lords, columns WA265-66.

North Korea

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral answer of 25 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1518, if he will make a statement on his discussion with a senior Chinese official on North Korea's nuclear enrichment programme.

Tony Blair: I discussed a wide range of issues with the Chairman of the National Committee, Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Jia Qinglin, during his recent visit, including North Korea's nuclear test and China's commitment to a denuclearised Korean peninsula. I also welcome the agreement in Beijing last week on North Korea's return to the six-party talks.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Climate Change

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had on achieving international consensus on efforts to stop climate change.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 November 2006,  Official Report, column 285.

Departmental Travel

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which civil servants accompanied him during each of his official visits to the United States in 2005; and what their job titles are.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the letter from the Cabinet Secretary to the hon. Member for East Devon (Mr. Swire) of 6 July 2006, a copy of which has been made available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Johnny Gallagher

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what meetings he has had with property developer Johnny Gallagher since 1997.

John Prescott: My Department has no record of any meetings with Mr. Gallagher.

Ministerial Facilities

Oliver Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether staff in his Office have access to a gym operated by the Government.

John Prescott: Staff have access to a gym operated on behalf of the Cabinet Office, for which they pay a subscription charge to the operator.

Post Office

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on the future of the Post Office network.

John Prescott: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 280-81 to the hon. Member for Wellingborough (Mr. Bone).

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Community Facilities

David Taylor: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent representations she has received on establishing female-only community facilities in  (a) Leicestershire,  (b) England and  (c) the United Kingdom.

Meg Munn: holding answer 26 October 2006
	I have had no such representations on establishing female-only community facilities in Leicestershire, England or the United Kingdom.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Better Regulation for Civil Society

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster by what date each recommendation of the Better Regulation Task Force's report "Better Regulation for Civil Society"  (a) was implemented and  (b) is expected to be implemented in relation to voluntary organisations.

Edward Miliband: holding answer 20 October 2006
	The Government's formal response to the Better Regulation Task Force's report "Better Regulation for Civil Society" provides full details of how they are responding to each of the recommendations in the report. It is available on the Cabinet Office website at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector/publications/index.asp. Copies have also been placed in the Library for the reference of Members and are also available in the Vote Office.

Bulgarian/Romanian Immigrants

Roger Gale: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if she will place in the Library a copy of the leaked Cabinet Office memorandum relating to crime committed by Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants.

Hilary Armstrong: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to comment on allegedly leaked documents.

Departmental Expenditure

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much her Department has spent on accommodation and subsistence costs on visits  (a) for Ministers,  (b) for staff and  (c) in total (i) in the last 12 months and (ii) in each year since 1997.

Hilary Armstrong: Information for the Cabinet Office is not collected in the format requested. To provide a breakdown would incur disproportionate costs.
	Owing to the way that accommodation and subsistence related costs are recorded on the Cabinet Office accounting system, it is not possible to extract the requested information from it.
	All official travel in the Department is undertaken strictly in accordance with the rules contained in the Cabinet Office Management Code. All ministerial travel-related costs are undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and "Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Departmental IT

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many information technology projects her Department has undertaken in each year since 2001.

Patrick McFadden: According to available records, the number of information technology projects the Department has undertaken in each year since 2001 is shown in the table.
	
		
			   Number of Projects 
			 2001-02 42 
			 2002-03 22 
			 2003-04 23 
			 2004-05 14 
			 2005-06 19 
			 2006 to date 21

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of her Department's databases are  (a) wholly and  (b) partly operated by external organisations or individuals; and which organisations and individuals own those databases.

Patrick McFadden: According to available records the Department has eight databases, which are operated wholly or partly by external organisations; all are owned by the Department. These are shown as follows.
	 Database Title
	Fast Stream Recruitment—graduate recruitment.
	E-Payfact—payroll administration.
	Forward Look—regulations management.
	Cabinet Committee Papers—management and distribution of Cabinet Committee papers.
	Cross-Government Exercise—crisis management.
	Government Communications Network—member database.
	Government IT Profession—member database.
	Central Application Repository—Civil Service pensions administration.
	With the exception of the Fast Stream Recruitment Database, which is wholly operated, the rest are partly operated by external organisations.

Departmental Staff

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 19 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1387W, on departmental staff, whether part of the new house manager's time will be assigned to the Admiralty House building.

Patrick McFadden: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on Thursday 19 October,  Official Report, column 1387-8W.

Departmental Staff

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many full-time equivalent staff from the Cabinet Office Communication Group provide support to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on Monday 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1624W.

Mandatory Retirement

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Government Departments have mandatory retirement ages for staff.

Patrick McFadden: Responsibility for the setting of retirement ages for staff below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to individual Departments under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992. The Cabinet Office does not maintain a record of those Departments which have chosen, as a result of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, to introduce a mandatory retirement age for their staff below the Senior Civil Service.
	Retirement age for members of the Senior Civil Service is not delegated to Departments to decide on and is 65.

Official Residence

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what date the Lord Chancellor moved into an official residence in Admiralty House.

Hilary Armstrong: My right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor has been allocated one of the flats in Admiralty House. He will not take up residence but will use it for official entertaining and other engagements. The arrangements for the Lord Chancellor were effective from Monday 16 October 2006.

Official Residence

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on what date the right hon. Member for Ashfield moved out of his official Ministerial residence in Admiralty House.

Hilary Armstrong: My right hon. Friend the Member for Ashfield (Mr. Hoon) vacated his official ministerial residence in Admiralty House on Friday 30 June 2006.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the current estimate is of the unfunded liability, in present value terms, of each public sector pension scheme for which her Department is responsible; and on what assumptions for  (a) discount rate and  (b) longevity the estimate is based.

Patrick McFadden: Information on the most recent estimate of unfunded liability for the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme is available in the Resource Accounts 2005-06 of Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation, a copy of which is available in the Library for the reference of Members. This contains details of the present value of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme's liabilities at Friday 31 March 2006 and the discount rate assumption.
	The scheme actuary used the same longevity assumptions as applied at the last full valuation as at Monday 31 March 2003. A copy of this report, "Review of the Accruing Superannuation Liability Charges (ALSCs) as at Monday 31 March 2003" is available on the Civil Service Pensions website at http://www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk/upload/assets/www.civilservice_pensions.gov.uk/aslc_review 31mar03.pdf.
	Copies have also been placed in the Library for the reference of Members.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent estimate she has made of the  (a) rate and  (b) annual cost of employer contributions in each public sector pension scheme for which her Department has responsibility; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Employer contribution rates for Members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) are assessed for each of four ranges of pay levels and are set at a level which together with employee contributions is intended to meet the costs of benefits accruing in the year. This approach is set out in Resource Accounts 2005-06 of Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation, a copy of which is available in the Library for the reference of Members. The current employer contribution rates expressed as a percentage of pensionable pay are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Salary band (£)  Rate of employer contribution as a percentage of pensionable pay 
			 18,500 and under 17.1 
			 18,501 to 38,000 19.5 
			 38,001 to 65,000 23.2 
			 65,001 and over 25.5 
		
	
	The average employer contribution is estimated at 19.4 per cent. of pensionable pay. A higher rate, of 26.5 per cent. of pensionable pay, is payable by the Prison Service for prison officers employed before September 1987 and who are entitled to enhanced benefits. The total employer contributions for 2006-07 are estimated at £2.6 billion.
	Most civil servants joining the civil service on or after Tuesday 1 October 2002 can, as an alternative to joining the PCSPS, opt for a partnership pension account which is a stakeholder arrangement with an age-related employer contribution varying between 3 per cent. and 12.5 per cent. of pensionable pay. In addition, the employer will match individual contributions up to a maximum of 3 per cent. of pay. In 2005-06, employers contributed a total of £7.7 million to partnership pension accounts.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what her estimate is of the total spending on the Civil Service Pension Scheme for each year from 1980-81 to 2050-51; how many members of the scheme there are; and if she will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Information on total spending on the Civil Service Pension Scheme for the years 2001-02 to 2005-06 is shown in the Resource Accounts of Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation. The Resource Accounts for 2005-06 also include information on scheme membership. Information on total spending for earlier years is shown in the Appropriation Accounts for the Civil Superannuation Vote. Her Majesty's Treasury accounted for this Vote before 1995, when responsibility moved to the Cabinet Office. Copies of these documents are available in the Library for the reference of Members.
	Future estimates for the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme are included in the total figures for gross spending on unfunded pensions in payment as a percentage of GDP that were published in the December 2005 Long-term Public Finance Report by Her Majesty's Treasury. Copies are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

SCOPE Programme

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the objectives are of the business change programme SCOPE; and what its  (a) cost and  (b) benefits have been to date.

Hilary Armstrong: SCOPE is an information systems enabled programme to improve collaboration across the intelligence community. It is not the practice to publish the costs of intelligence-related programmes. They are subject to scrutiny by the Intelligence and Security Committee, whose reports are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Special Advisers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 30 January 2006,  Official Report, columns 63-64W, how many special advisers work within her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 24 July 2006,  Official Report, column 86WS.

Strategy Unit

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total expenditure by the Strategy Unit  (a) was in the past 12 months and  (b) has been since it was established.

Hilary Armstrong: Strategy Unit costs for 2005-06 were £3,348,000. For Strategy Unit costs in each year since its establishment up to and including 2004-05, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend, the Member for East Renfrewshire (Mr. Murphy), then Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office, on 27 February 2006,  Official Report, column 43W.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Accidents (Electrical Equipment)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fatalities there were in each of the last five years owing to home accidents caused by use or misuse of electrical equipment and electrical installations.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The numbers of fatalities over the last five years are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Fatalities due to home accidents in Great Britain caused by use or misuse of electrical equipment and electrical installations 
			   Number of home accidents 
			 2001-02 (1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002) 4 
			 2002-03 (1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003) 5 
			 2003-04 (1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004) 3 
			 2004-05 (1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005) 10 
			 2005-06 (1 April 2005 to 31 March 2006) 13

Aviation Noise

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will assist local authorities to enforce restrictions on aviation noise from small airfields.

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government consulted on this proposal in their publication "Control of Noise from Civil Aircraft" before the White Paper "The Future of Air Transport" in 2003. Our conclusion, following consultation, was that such involvement of local authorities in small airports' noise control measures would be too bureaucratic. Not all local authorities in which an airport is situated would be resourced to take a fully informed view of an airport's proposals; there might also be conflicts between the interests of the authority that played host to the airport and those of other neighbouring authorities whose residents were also affected by the presence of the airport.
	However, it is possible for airports voluntarily to enter into binding agreements with local authorities.

Back Gardens

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have prevented building in back gardens through their local development frameworks.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 31 October 2006
	It is for local planning authorities to develop, through their local development frameworks, appropriate policies which set out the criteria against which planning applications for the development and use of land and buildings will be considered. This could include specific policies relating to where proposals involve development of existing residential areas, which could include associated land such as back gardens, but information on all the local planning authorities which have such a policy is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Building Regulations (Electrical Contractors)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many electrical contractors are registered under Part P of the building regulations; and what estimate she has made of the number of contractors who have yet to register.

Angela Smith: The regulatory impact assessment for Part P of the building regulations estimated that there were about 61,000 electrical contracting firms in the United Kingdom. To date about 30,000 firms have registered with a Part P competent person self-certification scheme. Part P and Part P competent person schemes cover only notifiable electrical installation work in dwellings; some of the 61,000 firms would carry out electrical installation work only in buildings other than dwellings so would not benefit from joining a Part P scheme. Electrical safety in buildings other than dwellings is controlled by the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 for which the Health and Safety Executive is the enforcing authority.

Casinos

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in the Department and its predecessor have held meetings in the last 12 months with casino operators interested in securing licences under the Gambling Act 2005; where each meeting took place; and what was discussed.

Meg Munn: Under the Gambling Act 2005, local authorities acting in their capacity as licensing authorities will be responsible for issuing the one regional, eight large and eight small new casino licences permitted by the Act. Licensing authorities will be required to run the competitions for these licences in a fair and open way. These competitions are not expected to begin until mid-2007, and the identities of the bidding companies will not be known until then.
	There were no ministerial meetings with casino operators. There was one meeting with officials: Mr Brian Lemon of the Casino Operators Association of the UK attended a Stakeholder Workshop in London on 13 October 2005 which discussed a draft paper on Need and Impact Assessment, which will be a guidance note to accompany Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres.

Casinos

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings planning Ministers have had with casino operators and their associates since January 2003; and who the attendees were in each case.

Meg Munn: There have been two meetings of planning Ministers and casino operators:
	6 May 2004—My right hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Keith Hill), former Minister for Housing and Planning, met Lloyd Nathan, European Managing Director of MGM, with officials to discuss planning policy for casinos generally.
	28 November 2004—My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister visited the Star City Casino, Sydney for which I refer the hon. Member to the Deputy Prime Minister's answer of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 301.
	In relation to meetings with associates of casino operators, there have been a number of meetings with representatives of Anschutz in connection with the Dome. Those involving the Deputy Prime Minister were set out in the letter appended to the Memorandum to the Committee of Standards. My right hon. Friend the Member for Streatham was also present at a meeting between the Deputy Prime Minister and officials and representatives of Anshutz in June 2003. In addition, my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, East (Mr. McNulty) and officials met representatives of Anshutz in January 2003. But none of these Ministers were planning Ministers for the Dome and related developments.

Casinos

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Deputy Prime Minister was  (a) consulted on and  (b) involved in the production of the Casinos: National Policy Statement document published in December 2004.

Yvette Cooper: The statement was a Government policy statement, agreed under the terms of collective responsibility in the normal way.

Commission for Equality and Human Rights

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representation she plans for the  (a) Hindu and  (b) Sikh community on the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

Meg Munn: The first round of appointments of Commissioners to the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will be made shortly. Ministers expect the Commission to take an inclusive approach and reach out to all faith communities in the UK. The recruitment process for Commissioners has always been built on the premise that Commissioners will work in a collegiate manner, and that the body as a whole should have understanding of the functions of the Commission and especially of human rights and discrimination matters, including discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief. It has never been the intention for individual Commissioners to represent particular groups.

Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford of 24 July on behalf of Mr Peter Lawrence; what the reasons are for the delay in replying; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The letter to which the hon. Member refers to was replied to on 2 November. I agree that we have taken longer than I would have wished to respond and apologise to both the hon. Member and Mr. Lawrence for this.

Council Rents

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average total rent paid by council tenants was in 2004-05; and what estimate he has made of the average amount spent per council tenant on repairs and services in that year.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	Subsidy expenditure in relation to council homes includes major repairs and capital charges (e.g. interest and repayments on borrowing for previous housing investment and building), as well as ongoing management and maintenance.
	The overall assumed in-year totals used for subsidy purposes are as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 Assumed rental income 5,722 
			  Less:  
			 Management and maintenance 3,082 
			 Major repairs 1,389 
			 Capital charges 1,205 
			 ALMO allowance 86 
			 Other allowances 82 
			 Deficit funded by Exchequer 122 
		
	
	Average rent per household reported by councils for 2004-05 was £2,868.13. This is an unaudited figure. Average expenditure per house on repairs and maintenance reported by councils was £805.28. This does not include management, major repairs or decent homes refurbishments. Nor does it include the capital charges against debt or borrowing that may have been used to fund the building of the homes in the first place.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1658W, on council tax rebates, whether such rebates referred to are only available to householders who purchase their gas or electricity from a Centrica-owned energy company.

Phil Woolas: The operation of any council rebate scheme for householders taking energy efficiency measures is entirely a matter for the local authority concerned. The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold information about the basis on which individual schemes operate.

Crown/Duchy of Lancaster Property

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Empty Dwelling Management Orders can be used to seize  (a) Crown property and  (b) property of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Yvette Cooper: Empty Dwelling Management Orders cannot be made against dwellings owned by the Crown. A dwelling owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, or any other property owner, could only be subject to an Empty Dwelling Management Order if the local authority proposing the order sought and received authorisation from a Residential Property Tribunal.

Departmental Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the  (a) Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and  (b) private office of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister spent on alcohol and hospitality in 2005-06.

Angela Smith: The following table sets out the expenditure on hospitality for the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and ODPM Private Offices in 2005-06.
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			  (a) Total ODPM hospitality spend 54,932 
			  of which:  
			  (b) ODPM Private Offices 20,646 
		
	
	The totals include £8,563 spent on hospitality by the Deputy Prime Minister's Private Office.
	Hospitality expenditure in the former ODPM was incurred when officials had provided meals/refreshments for ODPM stakeholders.
	The Department's finance system did not identify expenditure on alcohol separately. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure on official entertainment was made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.

Departmental Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse was of the Deputy Prime Minister's 2005 Sustainable Communities Summit.

Yvette Cooper: The net cost to the Department was £331,252. The total cost of holding the Sustainable Communities Summit 2005 was just over £2.8 million, while revenues from delegate fees and sponsorship were approximately £2.5 million.
	The summit, hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister, was the biggest event of its kind ever held in this country. Some 2,000 delegates from over 150 organisations in the public, private and voluntary and community sectors took part, showing how they are working together to create sustainable communities and sharing in the expertise and experience of a range of international speakers.
	The Summit House helped elicit over 200 expressions of interest in English Partnerships' Design for Manufacture Competition, which showed how we can develop high quality housing for a construction cost of £60,000 or less per home, while also placing sustainable communities on the international agenda during the UK European presidency.

Departmental Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who her Department funded to attend the conference on the internet and democracy in Budapest in July; and what criteria were used to select those delegates.

Angela Smith: The Department did not directly fund any delegates to attend the event, the International eDemocracy symposium in Budapest on 26-28 July. However, sponsored delegates were invited and paid for by the International Centre for Local eDemocracy (ICELE), which will largely be funded by DCLG until March 2008. ICELE is the successor to the former Local eDemocracy National Project which was established and funded by the Department's Local eGovernment Programme.
	Most of the symposium costs were covered by delegate fees and sponsorship by a number of organisations including the Council of Europe, Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Serco, Tata Consultancy Services and the Department.
	Delegates invited to attend the event at ICELE's expense were either conference speakers/workshop leaders (for example, a delegation from the UK Youth Parliament) or opinion formers within local government (for example, councillors who are active bloggers). These delegates were chosen by the conference organisers.

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which databases operated by her Department are located  (a) wholly and  (b) partly outside the UK; and where each of those databases and parts of databases is located.

Angela Smith: The Planning Portal and the Public Enquiry Service (PES) use modules from a Customer Relationship Management package; the application and associated data are hosted in the USA under "Safe Harbor" status. The PES data will be migrated to a UK-based repository in the first quarter of 2007.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in her Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total work force they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) was not created until 5 May 2006. Available information, for the most recent year, is as follows:
	92 or 61 per cent. of permanent senior civil servants (SCS) received an award in respect of overall performance, totalling £630,000. Performance awards are an intrinsic part of the SCS pay system. The largest award was £12,500.
	503 or 28 per cent. of non-SCS staff received an award in respect of overall performance, totalling £170,000. Awards were subject to a maximum payment of between £150 to £600, depending on grade.
	301 or 17 per cent. of staff received an award in respect of exceptional performance on a specific task or at a specific time, totalling £105,000. These awards are subject to a general maximum payment of £600.
	DCLG is committed to rewarding good performance and aims to increase performance awards available to non-SCS staff.

Empty Dwellings

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent staff in her Department work on policy relating to empty dwelling management orders.

Yvette Cooper: Work that arises on policy in relation to empty dwelling management orders is dealt with as part of the work of one full-time equivalent post within the Department.

Empty Homes Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding the Empty Homes Agency received from  (a) central Government and  (b) the Housing Corporation in 2005-06.

Yvette Cooper: In 2005-06, the Empty Homes Agency received £100,000 from the Department to support local authorities in bringing empty homes back into use and to promote good practice. The Agency received £13,156 from the Housing Corporation to run a conference addressing lessons learnt from research on how Registered Social Landlords can work with local authorities in tackling empty homes.

Energy Performance Certificates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average cost of requiring energy performance certificates to be produced when a property is rented  (a) in the private rented sector,  (b) by registered social landlords and  (c) by local authorities.

Yvette Cooper: The price of an energy performance certificate will be set by the market and not by Government. We expect these costs to vary according to the size, type and location of the property. Trials are planned to take place shortly to assess the indicative time and costs of producing energy performance certificates. This will also look at properties in the private, registered social landlord and local authority rented sectors.

Facilities for Disabled People

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total amount available from her Department to local authorities in the south-east for disabled facilities grants was in 2006-07; how much was bid for by each local authority; how much has been allocated to each local authority; and what use will be made by her Department of any underspend.

Yvette Cooper: The total allocation of grant to local authorities in the south-east for the disabled facilities grant programme (DFG) in 2006-07 was £19.962 million. This compares with a total bid for resources from those authorities of £21.093 million. The table gives the details for each authority.
	There is provision in the DFG financial management system for local authorities to carry over any underspend from one year to another if this is due to programme slippage and they can satisfy their auditors that this slippage can be made good in future years. There is also provision for a local authority that cannot meet this condition to refund the grant to the Department. As the DFG programme is ring-fenced any such refund will be reallocated to other authorities who can demonstrate a need for additional resource for their DFG programme. Any such reallocation will be made in close consultation with the Government offices.
	
		
			  LA name  2006-07 DFG bid (£000)  DFG 2006-07 allocations (£000) 
			 Adur 180 180 
			 Arun 450 450 
			 Ashford 216 216 
			 Aylesbury Vale 276 276 
			 Basingstoke and Deane 390 390 
			 Bracknell Forest 156 156 
			 Brighton and Hove 495 495 
			 Canterbury 339 339 
			 Cherwell 375 375 
			 Chichester 435 435 
			 Chiltern 240 240 
			 Crawley 252 252 
			 Dartford 180 180 
			 Dover 222 222 
			 East Hampshire 300 300 
			 Eastbourne 300 300 
			 Eastleigh 315 315 
			 Elmbridge 339 284 
			 Epsom and Ewell 357 207 
			 Fareham 159 159 
			 Gosport 126 126 
			 Gravesham 465 312 
			 Guildford 192 192 
			 Hart 180 162 
			 Hastings 420 420 
			 Havant 600 488 
			 Horsham 375 296 
			 Isle of Wight 480 480 
			 Lewes 242 242 
			 Maidstone 210 210 
			 Medway 540 540 
			 Mid Sussex 228 228 
			 Milton Keynes 375 375 
			 Mole Valley 142 142 
			 New Forest 254 254 
			 Oxford 360 360 
			 Portsmouth 528 528 
			 Reading 390 390 
			 Reigate and Banstead 390 340 
			 Rother 240 240 
			 Runnymede 300 224 
			 Rushmoor 240 211 
			 Sevenoaks 342 342 
			 Shepway 246 246 
			 Slough 370 354 
			 South Bucks 120 120 
			 South Oxfordshire 480 480 
			 Southampton 540 540 
			 Spelthorne 250 250 
			 Surrey Heath 239 162 
			 Swale 720 512 
			 Tandridge 120 120 
			 Test Valley 375 313 
			 Thanet 450 450 
			 Tonbridge and Malling 276 276 
			 Tunbridge Wells 180 180 
			 Vale of White Horse 423 423 
			 Waverley 210 210 
			 Wealden 273 273 
			 West Berkshire 324 324 
			 West Oxfordshire 192 192 
			 Winchester 270 270 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 270 270 
			 Woking 180 180 
			 Wokingham 330 284 
			 Worthing 360 360 
			 Wycombe 300 300 
			 Total (£ million) 21,093 19,962

Fire Stations

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued on the installation of smoke alarms in  (a) retained and  (b) non-retained fire stations.

Angela Smith: Fire stations are subject to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in the same way as other non-domestic premises. Any decision about whether any particular type of fire precaution, including fire detection and warning, is required should be taken in the light of a fire risk assessment of the premises and their use.

Gasworks Redevelopment

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total cost to public funds has been of the redevelopment of the Old Gasworks site at the corner of Harford Street and Ben Jonson Road, London E1; and what contributions have come from each source of public funds in each relevant year.

Yvette Cooper: The Department for Communities and Local Government has provided public funding for the development in the form of social housing grant via the Housing Corporation to provide over 500 new homes of mixed tenure, being developed by two Registered Social Landlords (RSLs)—Newlon Housing Trust and East Thames Housing Group. The total social housing grant agreed by the Housing Corporation is £24,824,911, with the remainder of the funding for this housing programme coming from the RSLs' own reserves. A total of £16,625,925 of this has been paid to date: £7,549,212 in 2003-04, less £24,105 reclaimed in 2004-05 and £9,100,818 in 2005-06.
	In addition to the above, £12,350 of New Deal for Communities money has been spent on undertaking feasibility work relating to the potential development of a multi-purpose community facility, incorporating key Primary Care Trust activities, along with facilities for training, employment and enterprise activities. This breaks down to £12,075 in 2005-06 and a further £275 in this financial year.

Government Social Research Service

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of the Government Social Research Service in her Department in each of the last five years; how many projects have been completed by the Service in that period; and how many people are employed in the Service in her Department.

Angela Smith: The projects completed by the GSR Service in DCLG for each of the past five financial years are:
	
		
			   Completed projects 
			 2001-02 74 
			 2002-03 96 
			 2003-04 99 
			 2004-05 73 
			 2005-06 52 
			 Total 394 
		
	
	The costs of the Government Social Research Service are only available for the past four financial years:
	
		
			   GSR service cost (£) 
			 2002-03 3,300,189 
			 2003-04 3,560,008 
			 2004-05 3,165,383 
			 2005-06 3,148,123 
		
	
	DCLG currently employs 64 Government Research Service staff, some of whom work on a part-time basis.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Register of Home Condition Reports will be fully operational.

Yvette Cooper: The key services required to enable the successful lodgement and retrieval of Home Condition Reports and Energy Performance Certificates will be available for the commencement of the area trials on 6 November, Plans are in place to develop this core service to provide full functionality by the first quarter of 2007 to allow for contingency before the start of live running on 1 June 2007. These development plans will take into account experiences gained and enhancements identified during the area trials.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her estimate is of the cost of a home information pack  (a) excluding the Home Condition Report and  (b) including VAT.

Yvette Cooper: The price of the pack will be determined by the market, not Government. The Regulatory Impact Assessment published in June assumed that costs would be similar to costs currently charged for similar products, although we expect competition and innovation will lead to a reduction in these prices.
	We are currently revising our estimate for the cost of home information packs, including producing the Energy Performance Certificate in the light of the statements made on 18 July and 21 September. A revised estimate of the costs will be included in the updated Regulatory Impact Assessment to be published alongside new regulations in early 2007.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the Government's planned expenditure is for the home information packs public relations and marketing campaign.

Yvette Cooper: The total communications budget for the HIP Programme in 2006-07 is £2.6 million excluding VAT. This is to ensure that the public and those working in the home buying and selling industry understand the changes that are being made and the benefits they will bring to consumers and the environment. It includes expenditure to support the area trials and includes information for estate agents, information about energy performance certificates and facts for home buyers and sellers.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Mr. Gove) on 9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 382W, on Home Information Packs, what is the estimated full-time equivalent number of individuals required to satisfy demand.

Yvette Cooper: The estimated number of qualified home inspectors required after June 2007 to satisfy demand on a full-time equivalent basis would be approximately 2,200. Based on the range of current industry working practices, this means between 2,500 to 4,500 individual Home Inspectors would be required.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) of 2 October 2006,  Official Report, column 2535W, on Home Information Packs, whether her Department has produced estimated costs of a Home Condition Report in London.

Yvette Cooper: The price of the pack will be determined by the market, not Government. For the purposes of preparing the RIA published in June we have assumed that costs will be similar to costs currently charged for similar products, although we expect competition and innovation will lead to a reduction in these prices.
	The full Home Condition Report (HCR) will be similar in content to the existing mid-range survey on the market, The Homebuyers Survey and Valuation, which costs about £400 plus VAT on average across the country as a whole. The actual cost of the HCR will be determined by the market and this will depend, as now, on the size, condition and location of the property. We expect competition in the market to ensure that costs are held down.

Home Condition Reports/Information Packs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what home information pack trials are taking place; where the next trials are planned; and whether the next trials will include environmental standards.

Yvette Cooper: Trials will take place in Bath, Cambridge, Southampton, Northampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield. We are working with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers to ensure providers are in place to conduct the trials.
	No further locations are currently planned.
	The trials will include testing of the Energy Performance Certificate and the Home Condition Report.

Home Improvement Agencies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the status is of the national contract to act as the co-ordinating body for home improvement agencies; and what plans she has to renew it.

Yvette Cooper: The contract is currently held with Foundations who act as the national co-ordinating body for Home Improvement Agencies. A decision will be taken shortly as to how best to continue to support a national co-ordinating body when the existing contract period expires. This is still the subject of procurement discussions and, further to these, we hope to be able to make a decision in November.

Home Inspectors

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Government plan to fund compensation for those who have trained to be home inspectors; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Government's policy is that mandatory Home Condition Reports (HCRs) remain on the table if the industry fails to make a success of the roll-out of HCRs. We will promote the voluntary take-up of HCRs, and have allocated £4 million to support their take-up and testing of home information packs. Therefore home inspectors will still be needed and job opportunities for home inspectors remain for those who have undertaken training. Moreover, the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for private and social rented properties will further enhance these opportunities.

Home Inspectors

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home inspectors are in training.

Yvette Cooper: According to the figures supplied by assessment centres, as at 5 October, there were 4,180 home inspectors in training. This excludes those who had completed training.

Home Inspectors

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the most recent figures are for the number of home inspectors who are now  (a) qualified and  (b) in training.

Yvette Cooper: The most recent figures, as at 5 October, supplied by assessment centres show that
	 (a) there are 500 home inspectors who have completed their training, of whom 190 have now been issued with their certificate
	 (b) there were 4,180 candidates still in training.

Home Inspectors

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of trained home inspectors.

Yvette Cooper: At least 470 home inspector candidates have completed their training.
	This figure is based on returns provided by six of the 11 assessment centres at 25 August, together with earlier returns from the other centres.

Honours

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority councillors received a Commander of the Order of the British Empire award between May 1997 and November 2006, broken down by political party affiliation.

Phil Woolas: Records in the Department for Communities and Local Government showing the number of CBE awards made to local authority councillors for services to local government in England and Wales are available from 2001. In the period from the new year 2001 to the Queen's birthday 2006 lists, 15 such awards were made. National honours to local authority councillors are awarded for the contribution the individual has made to the local community. The individual's party political affiliation is not taken into account in assessing potential candidates for honours.

Housing

Michael Gove: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what proportion of new housing built on brownfield sites in the 12 months to 1 April was built on garden or playing field sites;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the change in the amount of garden space in urban and suburban areas since May 1997.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested on gardens is not available centrally. The extent of garden space compared to curtilage of previous building is not recorded in land use change statistics on development of previously developed land.
	Outdoor recreation is classified as an undeveloped use, not as brownfield. In 2004 2 per cent. of new dwellings were provided on land that was previously outdoor recreation, down from 4 per cent. in 1994 and 3 per cent. in 1997. Planning policy on open space and recreation is set out in planning Policy Guidance 17 (PPG17) (July 2002) which states that existing open space, sports and recreational building and land should not be built on unless an assessment has been undertaken which has clearly shown the open space or the buildings and land to be surplus to requirement. In addition new investment has brought other kinds of brownfield land back into use for outdoor recreation.

Housing

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect of large bonus payments to people employed in the financial services industry on house prices in London.

Yvette Cooper: As part of the Government's response to the Barker Review of Housing Supply, the Government undertook detailed analysis and modelling of affordability, as detailed in the research publication "Affordability Targets: Implications for Housing Supply" (ODPM, 2005). The modelling took into account rising incomes over the period and this analysis contributed to the decision to set an ambition to increase housing supply to a level of 200,000 annual net additions by 2016. It looked at long term prices, rather than short term pressures in individual locations. The new National Housing and Planning Advice Unit will provide more detailed assessments for regions and local areas.
	At an aggregate level house prices are affected by a wide range of variables, including interest rates, level of household income and flexibility of the credit market.

Housing

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many projected additional households are attributable to each of the principal factors generating additional households in each year from 2003 to 2026.

Yvette Cooper: An analysis of the components of growth in household numbers as projected by the 2003-based household projections produced by the Department for Communities and Local Government is tabulated. Household growth has been split into the four principal factors generating additional households. The changes are best viewed over several years as tabulated.
	The factors are:
	(a) the projected growth of the total adult private household population;
	(b) the change in the age structure of the population;
	(c) changes in the marital status of the population, including proportions cohabiting, as well as legal marital status; and
	(d) changes in household formation rates specific for age, sex, legal marital status and cohabitation.
	The table includes a "remainder" column, which shows the change due to interaction between the components, for instance, the combined effect of increasing population and changes in the age distribution.
	
		
			  Components of the projected increase in households 2003-26: England 
			  Thousand 
			   Adult population  Age structure  Marital status  Household formation rates  Remainder  Total 
			 2003-06 410 19 -15 160 6 580 
			 2006-11 690 144 -18 249 16 1,081 
			 2011-16 607 294 -2 223 16 1,139 
			 2016-21 582 292 -7 195 15 1,076 
			 2021-26 507 255 -7 168 9 932 
			  Source:  2003-based household projections (DCLG and APU)

Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on affordable housing in each of the last 20 years.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows the amount of expenditure through the Housing Corporation on affordable housing since 1992-93. This does not include expenditure through English Partnerships for example on the first time buyers initiative or the London Wide initiative. Nor does it include investment in affordable housing through section 106 agreements.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Affordable Housing Programme  Local Authority Social Housing Grant  Safer Communities Supported Housing Fund  Starter Home Initiative  Other  Total 
			 1992-93 2,284 399 0 0 21 2,704 
			 1993-94 1,761 443 0 0 33 2,238 
			 1994-95 1,441 372 0 0 46 1,859 
			 1995-96 1,112 370 0 0 41 1,523 
			 1996-97 1,007 349 0 0 23 1,380 
			 1997-8 667 363 0 0 60 1,090 
			 1998-9 603 335 0 0 129 1,067 
			 1999-2000 635 328 0 0 180 1,143 
			 2000-01 727 400 0 0 103 1,230 
			 2001-02 799 410 9 2 13 1,233 
			 2002-03 925 499 27 67 11 1,529 
			 2003-04 1,590 249 27 172 16 2,054 
			 2004-05 1,600 35 11 7 18 1,671 
			 2005-06 (1) 1,599 23 2 0 9 1,632 
			 2006-07 (2) 1,958 0 0 0 20 1,841 
			 2007-08 (2) 1,945 0 0 0 20 2,015 
			 (1) Provisional (2) Forecast 
		
	
	This table represents the investment the Government have made via the Housing Corporation to registered social landlords for the provision and repair of affordable housing for both rent and low cost home ownership.

Housing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2006,  Official Report, column 1664W, on housing, 
	(1)  in which local authority areas transactions have been completed under the Social Homebuy scheme; and how many transactions have been completed in each area;
	(2)  which  (a) housing associations and  (b) local authorities participate in the Social Homebuy scheme;
	(3)  how many housing associations are participating in the Social Homebuy scheme;
	(4)  how many social tenants are eligible for the Social HomeBuy scheme.

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many completed transactions of the sale or part-sale of homes have taken place under the Social Homebuy scheme.

Yvette Cooper: The Social Homebuy scheme is anew programme for secure and assured tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations. To qualify individuals must have been public sector tenants for at least two years (five years for tenancies granted on or after 18 January 2005).
	Four housing associations (Notting Hill Housing Trust, Guinness Trust, Sovereign Housing Group and Places for People) and one local authority, the London borough of Southwark, have begun to pilot the new Social Homebuy scheme. The pilots were launched in late 2005 by inviting expressions of interest. The next stage was for landlords to supply key information to the potential purchasers who have expressed an interest on property values and likely costs, so that they could decide whether they wished to make a formal application. The first applications and sales are now starting to come through. Transactions typically take longer than house sales because landlords also carry out affordability checks to ensure purchasers can sustain home ownership. Over 150 applications are in the pipeline, with five sales completed and more expected shortly.
	Of the five sales completed so far, three have been in the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, one was in the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the remaining one was in Chorley in Lancashire.
	A further 38 housing associations intend to offer the Social Homebuy scheme from April 2007. The names of these housing associations are set out as follows. In addition the Housing Corporation announced details on 13 October of a further bidding round for housing associations to be funded to offer the scheme which will start on 30 October. A number of local authorities in London and elsewhere are also working up plans for pilots.
	 RSLs offering Social HomeBuy in 2006-08
	 London region
	Broomleigh Housing Association
	Catalyst Housing Group
	Circle Anglia
	Dominion Housing Group
	Downland Housing Association
	Family Housing group
	Gallions Housing Association
	Genesis Housing Group
	London and Quadrant
	Metropolitan Housing Partnership
	Moat Housing Group
	Mosaic Housing Association Ltd.
	Notting Hill Housing Group
	Peabody Trust
	Places for People Group
	Presentation Housing Association
	Southern Housing Group
	 Region—South East
	Sentinel
	Testway Housing
	Southern Housing Group
	Places for People
	Moat
	Sovereign Housing Association
	Aldwyck
	Dominion Housing Group
	Oxford Citizens Housing Association
	 Region—East of England
	Aldwyck
	Genesis
	Nene Housing Society
	 Region—South West
	Western Challenge
	Evesham and Pershore Housing Ass.
	Gloucestershire Housing Association
	Somer Community Housing Trust
	Devon and Cornwall Housing Association
	Knightstone Housing Association Ltd.
	Sovereign Housing Group
	 Region—East Midlands
	Places for People
	Nene Housing Society
	 Region—West Midlands
	Bromford
	Evesham and Pershore
	Mercian
	West Mercia
	 Region—North East
	Places for People
	Three Rivers Housing Association
	 Region—North West
	CDS Housing Association Ltd.
	Cosmopolitan
	Greater Hornby
	Places for People
	William Sutton Housing Association
	Riverside
	Knowsley Housing Trust
	 Region—Yorkshire and Humber
	Places for People Group
	William Sutton
	Joseph Rowntree Foundation
	 Early pilots—most regions
	Notting Hill Housing Group
	Places for People
	Sovereign Housing Association
	Guinness

Housing

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of social housing provided in the south-east of England is allocated to  (a) asylum seekers,  (b) foreign nationals who have indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom and  (c) foreign nationals who have further leave to remain in the United Kingdom.

Yvette Cooper: Information on the allocation of local authority dwellings is collected quarterly on the Department for Communities and Local Government's P1(E) form. Between April and June 2006 (the most recent quarter for which data are available), 60 out of the 67 authorities in the south eastern region reported data. Data on lettings by Registered Social Landlords are not collected by these categories of foreign nationals.
	 (a) Asylum seekers are not eligible for social housing.
	 (b) Between April and June 2006, local authorities in the south-east region reported 14 out of an estimated 2,855 total new local authority lettings to foreign nationals who had refugee status or indefinite leave to remain.
	 (c) There is no specific class of eligibility for social housing for persons granted further leave to remain. However, persons granted exceptional leave to remain, discretionary leave or humanitarian protection will be eligible to be housed. Between April and June 2006, local authorities in the south-east region reported three out of an estimated 2,855 total new local authority lettings went to foreign nationals who remained here on grounds of either exceptional leave to remain, discretionary leave or humanitarian protection.
	The most recent data available on "total" new LA lettings come from the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix, and are for 2004-05. There is estimated to have been a total of 2,855 new LA lettings in a quarter.

Housing

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the housing market of a shortage of Energy Performance Certificate inspectors.

Yvette Cooper: The Department has estimated that between 2,500 and 4,500 inspectors will be needed to produce Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) together with voluntary home condition reports for marketed residential sales when EPCs become mandatory in June 2007. There are reported to be 4,470 home inspector candidates who are either in or have completed their training.
	A report commissioned by the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and carried out by National Energy Services concluded that there is also a potential pool of suitably skilled individuals prepared to undergo training and become qualified as domestic energy assessors, who could produce EPCs. Training courses offering such a qualification are expected to be available in early 2007, with candidates able to qualify in time for June 2007. Therefore there are plenty of available candidates to prevent a shortage or any impact on the market.

Housing

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to announce allocations from the next round of decent homes 2006 housing transfer and arm's length management organisations programme bidding.

Yvette Cooper: On 18 October I announced that 29 schemes had been awarded places on the 2006 Housing Transfer Programme and that places for a further 20 schemes were being held open for further discussions with applicants. The results of bids for places on round 6 of the arm's length management organisation programme will be announced later in the year.

Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many shared-equity homes have been  (a) built and  (b) made available on the market in Coventry, South in each of the last three years.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows homes provided through shared equity in Coventry in each of the last three years via the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme and Local Authority Social Housing Grant. The information requested is not available at constituency level.
	
		
			   Shared Ownership  Open Market Purchase 
			 2003-04 4 7 
			 2004-05 10 0 
			 2005-06 0 7 
			  Source: Housing Corporation 
		
	
	Shared Ownership includes both new build and those acquired and refurbished.
	Allocations provided through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme 2006-08 are expected to deliver 123 new build Homebuy (formerly shared ownership) units in Coventry.
	This does not include any shared ownership homes funded entirely under section 106.

Housing

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of homes built in Coventry, South since 1997 have been affordable social housing.

Yvette Cooper: Since 1 April 1997, 25 per cent. of all dwellings built in Coventry have been for affordable housing (social rent and low cost home ownership). Information specific to the Coventry, South constituency is not held centrally.

Housing

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many children are living in households which are statutorily overcrowded in  (a) Luton,  (b) Bedfordshire and  (c) England.

Yvette Cooper: Reliable estimates of overcrowding based on the statutory standard are not available because the underlying data are not collected systematically. A one-off estimate was made in 2003 that approximately 20,000 households across the whole of England were in conditions of overcrowding that breached the statutory standard. This estimate was based on data from the "Survey of English Housing" for the period 2000-01 to 2002-03 and from the 2001 "English House Condition Survey". However, no further estimate was made of how many children were living in these 20,000 households.
	Estimates of the number of households in Luton, Bedfordshire and the whole of the United Kingdom that are statutorily overcrowded are also not available.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much gap funding has been provided for stock transfer of council homes to registered social landlords; from which of her Department's budgets this funding was drawn; and how much additional gap funding local authorities have requested in the latest transfer round.

Yvette Cooper: A total of £182 million has been made available for gap funding over the period of the SR2004, up to 2007-08. We have entered into 13 gap funding agreements with RSLs up to the value of £203 million for periods of up to 10 years. Since March 2005 to 31 October 2006, payments totalling £21.4 million have been made from the Department's Capital DEL budget under these arrangements.
	We received applications for places on the 2006 Housing Transfer Programme for 23 schemes from 15 authorities where the negative valuation totals around minus £700 million and gap funding arrangements may be required.

Housing

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which  (a) individuals,  (b) authorities and  (c) other organisations have responded to her Department's discussion paper, Tackling Overcrowding in England; and if she will place copies of the responses in the Library;
	(2)  when she expects to make a statement on the new standard she plans to introduce to measure statutory overcrowding.

Yvette Cooper: We have received over 100 responses to our discussion paper 'Tackling Overcrowding in England'. My officials are currently reviewing these responses. We expect to publish the Government's response shortly, and will at the same time place copies of all responses to the discussion paper in the Library of the House, except in cases where confidentially has been requested.

Housing

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the London Housing Board's target that 35 per cent. of new social housing in 2006 to 2008 will have three or more bedrooms; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Allocations from the National Affordable Housing Programme in London for 2006-07 to 2007-08 will deliver 34.5 per cent. of social rented homes with three or more bedrooms. This reflects the priority in the London Housing Strategy 2005-16 to increase the supply of larger family homes in the social sector. As schemes allocated funding for 2006-07 to 2007-08 will deliver completed homes over a number of years, it is too early to say what progress is being made.

Housing

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the funding required to enable those local authorities who face a shortfall in resources to meet the Decent Homes target.

Yvette Cooper: In order to bring in the investment needed to make all social housing decent, we provide additional ways to support local authorities who need additional funding to make their homes decent on top of the resources provided through the Housing Revenue Account.
	By 31 March 2008, £182 million will have been made available for gap-funded transfers, £3.7 billion for arm's length management organisations and £2.7 billion for PFI schemes. Future levels of funding for gap-funded transfers and ALMOs are being negotiated as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review process.

Housing

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many shared equity homes have been  (a) built and  (b) made available on the market in (i) Chorley and (ii) Lancashire in each of the last three years.

Yvette Cooper: The following table shows homes provided via the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme and Local Authority Social Housing Grant through shared equity in both Chorley and Lancashire in each of the last three years.
	
		
			   Chorley  Lancashire( 1) 
			  2003-04   
			 Shared Ownership 4 79 
			 Open Market Purchase — — 
			
			  2004-05   
			 Shared Ownership 13 58 
			 Open Market Purchase — — 
			
			  2005-06   
			 Shared Ownership 19 62 
			 Open Market Purchase — 1 
			 (1) Lancashire, for the purposes of this response, includes the following local authorities: Burnley, Chorley, Fylde, Hyndburn, Lancaster, Pendle, Preston, Ribble Valley, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire and Wyre. 
		
	
	Shared Ownership includes both new build and those acquired and refurbished.
	Allocations provided through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme 2006-08 are expected to deliver six new build shared ownership units in Chorley and 221 new build shared ownership properties in Lancashire.

Housing

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government following the publication of Appendix 7 of Milton Keynes Partnership's MK2031 document outlining the proposals for the demolition of houses in Milton Keynes, how many houses she expects to be demolished in Milton Keynes.

Yvette Cooper: The Government are committed to increasing housing growth in Milton Keynes as detailed in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub-Regional Strategy. Detailed decisions are a matter for Milton Keynes Partnership and Milton Keynes council. However, we are not aware they have any plans to demolish houses.

Housing

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of homes built in  (a) Oxfordshire and  (b) the Wantage constituency since 1997 have been affordable social housing.

Yvette Cooper: Since 1 April 1997, 22 per cent. of all dwellings built in Oxfordshire have been affordable social housing. Information specific to the Wantage constituency is not held centrally. However, 24 per cent. of all dwellings built since 1 April 1997 in the local authority Vale of White Horse have been affordable social housing.

Housing

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many extra houses are planned for the Crawley and Horsham area over the next 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: Crawley borough council's projected figure for new housing building in the year 2006-07 is 269 units, and for the year 2007-08 it is 384 units. Horsham district council's projected figure for new housing building in the year 2006-07 is 406 units, and for the year 2007-08 it is 410 units. These figures are taken from the annual monitoring report projected figures provided by the councils.

Housing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of overcrowding her Department uses in assessing housing shortages; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The current national statutory overcrowding standards (the Room Standard and the Space Standard) are set out in Part X of the Housing Act 1985 which restates standards that have remained unchanged since 1935. Under the Housing Act a dwelling is overcrowded if either of the standards is contravened:
	The Room Standard is breached if two people of opposite sexes who are not living together as husband and wife must sleep in the same room. Living rooms and kitchens as well as bedrooms can be treated as available sleeping accommodation. Children under 10 do not count.
	The Space Standard specifies the number of people who may sleep in a dwelling according to the number of rooms and their floor area. Two calculations are required and the lower number applies. Babies under one year do not count, and children under 10 count as half.
	The Government have recently consulted on updating the statutory standards. Recent estimates of overcrowding based on the statutory standard are not available because the underlying data are not collected systematically. A one-off estimate was made in 2003 that approximately 20,000 households across the whole of England were in conditions of overcrowding that breached the statutory standard. This estimate was based on data from the Survey of English Housing for the period 2000-01 to 2002-03 and from the 2001 English House Condition Survey.
	The Bedroom Standard has been used as the statistical benchmark (for example, in the Survey of English Housing) for measuring overcrowding since the 1960s. It differs considerably from the statutory standards. About 525,000 households are currently overcrowded by the Bedroom Standard. This is about 2.5 per cent. of households.
	DCLG uses the statutory standards, the bedrooms standards, as well as other indicators of housing stress, such as rates of temporary accommodation, to inform decisions about resources for additional housing supply.

Housing

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority lettings have been made to nationals from the EU accession states since May 2004; and how many have received homelessness assistance in that period.

Yvette Cooper: A total of 128 local authority lettings have been made to households from the EU accession states since May 2004. These figures include households who have been in the UK since before May 2004. This comprises around 0.04 per cent. of total lettings to all new tenants over the 26 month period.
	A total of 524 households from the EU accession states have been accepted as eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty, since May 2004. This comprises around 0.2 per cent. of the total number of households accepted over the 26 month period.

Housing

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much  (a) revenue and  (b) capital funding has been spent on (i) new and (ii) existing social housing in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows, in total, how much local authorities have invested and plan to invest in their existing stock each year since 1997 through the Housing Revenue Account, the majority of which comes from central Government funding.
	
		
			  Housing Revenue Account 
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 1,563 
			 1998-99 1,660 
			 1999-2000 1,569 
			 2000-01 1,816 
			 2001-02 2,142 
			 2002-03 2,345 
			 2003-04 2,641 
			 2004-05 3,176 
			 2005-06 3,564 
			 2006-07 3,334 
			 2007-08 3,190 
			  Source:  Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA). 
		
	
	In addition, Government capital provision in affordable housing, both new and existing, since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 1,894 
			 1998-99 2,098 
			 1999-2000 2,173 
			 2000-01 2,866 
			 2001-02 2,696 
			 2002-03 2,943 
			 2003-04 3,964 
			 2004-05 4,135 
			 2005-06 5,223 
			 2006-07 5,347 
			 2007-08 5,665 
		
	
	The capital investment figures included expenditure through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme. Information on how this funding was spent on social rented housing and on existing social housing is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Expenditure on social rent provision  Expenditure on existing social rented housing 
			 1997-98 458.21 65.30 
			 1998-99 446.86 40.43 
			 1999-2000 522.95 34.43 
			 2000-01 576.47 59.62 
			 2001-02 647.16 67.42 
			 2002-03 761.69 44.80 
			 2003-04 1,174.81 53.70 
			 2004-05 1,050.03 46.85 
			 2005-06(1) 960 33.8 
			 2006-08(2) 2,820 59.4 
			 (1) Provisional.  (2) Estimate.   Notes: 1. Expenditure on social rent provision includes both new build and additions to the stock which are acquired and refurbished.  2. The figures for existing social housing include expenditure on major repairs and works to Registered Social Landlord stock.   Source:  Housing Corporation.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her Department's five most expensive  (a) web and  (b) non-web information technology projects have been since 2001.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006. No  (a) web or  (b) non-web information technology projects have been completed since that date.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of information technology projects undertaken by or for her Department since 2001 have been delivered  (a) over budget,  (b) after their original deadline,  (c) on budget,  (d) under budget,  (e) on their original deadline and  (f) ahead of their original deadline.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006. No information technology projects have been completed since that date.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many information technology projects her Department has undertaken in each year since 2001; and how many of those projects were web-related.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006. One information technology project has been initiated since that date; it is not web-related.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on information technology consultants in each year since 2001; and how many consultants worked on web-facing projects in each of those years.

Angela Smith: The Department of Communities and Local Government came into being in May 2006. The spend on IT consultancies for the year to date is £4,955,360.
	To provide the numbers of consultants working on web-facing projects would be at disproportionate cost.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has spent on  (a) information technology projects and  (b) web-facing information technology projects in each year since 2001.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006. No  (a) information technology projects and  (b) web-facing information technology projects have been completed since that date.

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many contracts for non-web related information technology projects with a value over £1 million have been awarded by her Department to external consultants since 2001.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government was formed in May 2006. There are four non-web related contracts with a value of over £1 million.

Local Government

Ken Purchase: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to allow local authorities to decide policies and strategies through specialist committees rather than through a Cabinet monitored by scrutiny boards.

Phil Woolas: The Local Government White Paper published on 26 October sets out our plans for stronger and more stable executive leadership and giving local authority overview and scrutiny committees new powers to review the actions of key public bodies. We have no plans to return to the old committee system.

Local Government

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent communication her Department has had with Coventry city council on the Local Government White Paper.

Phil Woolas: My Department has engaged extensively with local government representatives and individual authorities across England in developing "Strong and Prosperous Communities—The Local Government White Paper".
	Contact with Coventry city council as part of this broad agenda has included the following:
	officials met with the leader and chief executive of Coventry city council in May 2005, as part of the engagement programme for the discussion document on "Vibrant Local Leadership"; and
	as a member of the Birmingham, Coventry and Black Country city-region, Coventry city council were involved in the development of the city-region business case which was presented to the Secretary of State on 23 May 2006. Further engagement on this agenda took place in relation to the city-region's joint growth point bid, with the funding allocations being announced on 24 October 2006.

Local Government

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she proposes a limit on the number of unitary authorities further to section 3.55 of the local government white paper.

Phil Woolas: As we made clear in paragraph 5.16 of the invitation to councils to make proposals for future unitary structures that was published alongside the Local Government White Paper, the Government think they will be unlikely to be able to implement more than eight proposals. However, the final decision on the number of proposals that will be implemented will depend crucially on the content of local authority submissions and the potential impact on public expenditure totals if these proposals were approved. This expected maximum number would not preclude the Government from deciding to implement more if they offered good value for money and were affordable.

London Borough of Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which projects are under consideration by her Department in the London Borough of Bexley.

Yvette Cooper: The Government office for London is currently negotiating a Local Area Agreement with the London borough of Bexley. The agreement will bring together funding streams from various Whitehall Departments. It offers Bexley the opportunity to work more flexibly to achieve its own locally agreed priorities and will include reward grant for enhanced performance in some of those priority areas.
	The Housing Corporation has allocated over £15 million in its 2006-08 housing programme to support schemes in the London borough of Bexley.
	Under our Thames Gateway programme Bexley is receiving £35 million over the period 2004-05 to 2007-08 to support a range of projects from town centre regeneration to managing marshland, and to fund the Bexley Regeneration Partnership. Further funding for a project to refurbish and renovate the Crossness pumping station is currently under consideration. English Partnerships is providing funding of £200,000 to support masterplanning on the Erith Western Gateway Project in the borough.
	The East Thamesmead Centre for Innovation is also receiving £2.5 million capital funding from the European Regional Development Fund between 2004-05 and 2006-07. The aims of the project include providing incubation space for new and expanding businesses, and accommodating an innovation and business development support service.

Ministerial Gifts

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the publication of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Resource Accounts 2005-06 (HC 1465), what each of the individual gifts given by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in 2005-06 were; and who received each gift.

Angela Smith: The following table provides a brief description of each item gifted by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) in the financial year 2005-06, and the entity that received each gift.
	
		
			  Type of gift  Name of entity gift donated 
			 ODPM undertook work on behalf of the Fire and Rescue Services (the Firelink Programme), which resulted in the creation of radio communications systems, including hardware (radios) and installation costs for 14 Fire and Rescue Services To the following Fire and Rescue Services: Dorset, East Sussex, Greater Manchester, Hereford and Worcester, Hertfordshire, Kent, Leicestershire, Mid and West Wales, North Wales, Northamptonshire, Suffolk, Warwickshire, West Sussex and Wiltshire 
			   
			 1 set of prizes awarded to delegates attending a UK presidency meeting House of Commons diaries and four whisky glasses presented to the Finnish Minister of Regional and Municipal Affairs and senior officials in the Finnish Ministry of the Interior during a study visit to Finland by senior ODPM officials 
			   
			 86 Green Goddesses For Humanitarian Purposes—76 donated to Operation Florian (a UK Fire Service humanitarian charity) and 10 donated to Rapid UK (exists to provide experienced disaster response anywhere in the world, when required) 
			 12 Green Goddesses For Museums and Heritage—four donated to Civil Defence and Emergency Service Preservation Trust, and one each to Auxiliary Fire Service Vehicle Restoration Group (Midlands), Manston Fire Museum, Fire Police Museum, National Historic Vehicle Society, Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service Preservation Society, Welsh Area Fire Engine Restoration Society (Museum of Fire) and Military Vehicle Trust 
			   
			 102 Green Goddesses Not yet allocated to final destinations but are earmarked for humanitarian purposes.

Ministerial Travel

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she has taken to offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by ministerial travel in her Department.

Angela Smith: All central government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases certified emissions reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.

Muslim Council of Britain

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) financial support and  (b) support in kind her predecessor departments the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and their agencies gave to the Muslim Council of Britain in each year since 1997.

Meg Munn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 46W, to a question which sought details of financial support and support in kind given to the Muslim Council of Britain.
	Information from previous Departments is not held centrally and cannot be researched further without disproportionate cost.

Ocean Estate (Transfer Ballot)

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the costs were of the housing consultation exercise related to the recent stock transfer ballot on the Ocean Estate in London E1/E14 in each year since 2001; and by which organisations the costs will be met.

Yvette Cooper: The costs of the statutory consultation required under section 106 of and Schedule 3 A of the Housing Act 1985 are as follows:
	
		
			  (£) 
			  Costs incurred by:  London Borough of Tower Hamlets  Ocean NDC—covered by DCLG Grant 
			 2005-06 120,411 85,682(1) 
			 2006-07 23,003 27,604(1) 
			 (1) Estimated costs 
		
	
	Sanctuary Housing Association incurred costs of 297,838 on promotional activity during the formal consultation period.

Ocean New Deal for Communities Programme

George Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  why the Ocean New Deal for Communities programme in London E1/E14 has been put into special measures; and what factors underlay the decision to suspend resident board member Shirin Choudhury;
	(2)  if she will take steps to ensure that investment is forthcoming from Ocean New Deal for Communities and other bodies to carry out necessary repairs and improvements at the Ocean Estate in London E1/E14.

Phil Woolas: The Ocean NDC has not been put into special measures. The Department has commissioned an independent review of the NDC's programme, following the recent housing stock transfer ballot on the Ocean estate. Following this review and after discussion with London borough of Tower Hamlets (the accountable body for this NDC) we will be considering the position of the Ocean estate.
	NDCs are set up with autonomous governance arrangements and boards. This will include codes of conduct which all board members are expected to adhere to. Any decision to suspend a board member will be taken by an NDC Board.

Planning

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to establish a national land database of public land available for alternative uses including housing.

Yvette Cooper: Following the publication of the sustainable communities plan in 2003, English Partnerships established a register of surplus public sector land held by central Government bodies and available for reuse. A web-based version of the register was established in 2005 as part of the electronic Property Information Mapping Service (e-PIMS), operated by the Office of Government Commerce. e-PIMS records information about properties owned and occupied by central Government. Work is under way to provide more comprehensive information on surplus public land.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the planning application to construct the millennium dome in the late 1990s was called in by the Secretary of State; and what reasons were given to justify any call-in.

Yvette Cooper: No planning application in relation to the millennium dome has been called in.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the planning applications from consideration of which the Deputy Prime Minister ruled himself out on probity grounds due to a potential conflict of interest with family members when he was the Secretary of State responsible for planning.

Yvette Cooper: The Deputy Prime Minister did not consider any such cases.

Planning

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2006,  Official Report, column 813W, on planning, whether the planning decisions involved planning applications in which Estate Partnerships played a role.

Yvette Cooper: Our records of planning applications and planning appeals considered by the Deputy Prime Minister and other planning Ministers, show no applications from "Estate Partnerships", either as applicant or agent.
	We do not know which people and organisations are clients of "Estate Partnerships" and are therefore unable to provide any further answer with regard to them.

Planning

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Government has to tackle the practice of the sale and marking out of development plots of green belt land where there is no realistic prospect of planning permission.

Yvette Cooper: Consultation ended on 24 October on my Department's proposals to speed up the procedures enabling local planning authorities to redraw permitted development rights in respect of the subdivision of rural land.

Planning

Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department has taken to ensure that local planning authorities are able to impose energy efficiency measures under the EU Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings (Directive 2002/91/EC) in relation to new planning applications.

Angela Smith: The requirements of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and associated energy performance calculation methodologies were implemented through an amendment to the Building Regulations introduced in April 2006. Compliance with Building Regulations is enforced by Local Authority Building Control and approved inspectors.
	National planning policy set out in Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1) already expects the development plans prepared by regional planning bodies and local planning authorities to contribute to global sustainability through policies which reduce energy use, reduce emissions (for example, by encouraging patterns of development which reduce the need to travel by private car, or reduce the impact of moving freight) and promote the development of renewable energy resources. In doing so, planning policies are expected to avoid replicating, cutting across, or detrimentally affecting matters within the scope of other legislative requirements, such as those set out in Building Regulations for energy efficiency.
	We have said we will publish for consultation by the end of the year a new PPS on climate change. This will set out how the Government expects participants in the planning process to work towards the reduction of carbon emissions in the location, siting and design of new development. The PPS will sit alongside the Code for Sustainable Homes, and together with national Building Regulations support the Government's ambition of moving first to low carbon and then to carbon neutral development.

Planning

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's guidance on propriety issues in handling planning casework.

Yvette Cooper: holding answer 11 September 2006
	I have today placed a copy of the current "Guidance on Propriety Issues in Handling Planning Casework in Communities and Local Government" in the House Library. It is also available on the DCLG website at http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=l144571

Radon Gas

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment the Government have made of the possible effects of radon gas in respect of the development proposed in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Regional Strategy.

Yvette Cooper: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has assessed the levels of Radon gas across the UK. This assessment has shown elevated levels in some parts of the Milton Keynes South Midlands area. The provision of protection for new buildings against the ingress of radon is a normal part of the planning process through PPS23 and Buildings Regulations. Several authorities in the MKSM area are participating in the Government's radon programme—"Reducing Radon in the Home".

Recycling

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to encourage the use of reused and recycled materials in capital procurement projects for which her Department is responsible.

Angela Smith: The Department for Communities and Local Government is adopting new procurement guidance that will specifically address sustainable themes and encourage staff to take sustainable factors into consideration from the beginning of any capital procurement.

Regeneration (Thames Gateway)

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether public sector funding bodies with responsibility for delivering new housing in the Thames Gateway plan to make their contribution conditional on defined high standards of design.

Yvette Cooper: The Government recognise that high quality housing design is a prerequisite for creating sustainable and cohesive communities. We have been working with members of the Thames Gateway Strategic Forum to promote high quality housing design and we will be announcing a package of measure to support this in the forthcoming Thames Gateway Interim Strategic Framework that will be published on 22 November 2006.
	In addition to this the Housing Corporation has established a Commission on Affordable Housing and Design Quality in the Thames Gateway. The aim of the Commission is to deliver a document that will specify design standards that will be applied to all new Corporation funded properties developed in the Thames Gateway.

Registered Social Landlords

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the value of the  (a) assets and  (b) surpluses of the 10 largest registered social landlords was in each of the last four years.

Yvette Cooper: The following table lists the largest 10 registered social landlords (RSLs) in each of the years from 2002 to 2006 together with the level of stock owned and managed, Net Book Value of their stock and their Surplus before Tax for each of the years.
	
		
			£000 
			   Owned and managed  Net book value  Surplus before tax 
			  2002
			 North British 44,852 687,258 5,903 
			 Anchor Trust 34,948 166,961 7,266 
			 Sanctuary Housing Association 32,825 481,300 6,584 
			 Home Group Limited 30,065 411,796 4,082 
			 Hyde 27,948 308,269 3,213 
			 Home Housing 1998 24,722 0 0 
			 Riverside 24,390 230,498 1,016 
			 Orbit 24,060 233,990 460 
			 London and Quadrant Housing Trust 23,229 360,802 12,828 
			 Paddington Churches Housing Association 22,636 272,466 5,722 
			 
			  2003
			 North British Housing Ltd 44,962 689,399 1,799 
			 Sanctuary Housing Association 35,763 498,300 6,100 
			 Anchor Trust 35,057 170,369 -7,394 
			 Home Group Limited 31,239 436,005 -3,486 
			 Hyde Housing Association Limited 28,731 338,220 7,329 
			 London and Quadrant Housing Trust 26,173 387,709 16,709 
			 Home Housing Association Limited 25,197 0 0 
			 Orbit Housing Association 24,093 243,567 -8,303 
			 Riverside Housing 23,162 250,195 2,028 
			 Paddington Churches Housing Association Ltd 23,029 288,785 7,507 
			  2004
			 North British Housing Limited 46,683 695,705 2,818 
			 Sanctuary Housing Association 35,565 515,200 68,82.3 
			 Anchor Trust 34,918 191,634 43,288 
			 Hyde Housing Association Limited 32,743 390,473 7,689 
			 Home Group Limited 31,550 461,935 -7,245 
			 London and Quadrant Housing Trust 26,770 472,625 16,825 
			 Home Housing Association Limited 25,056 0 0 
			 Riverside Housing 23,147 259,502 2,195 
			 Orbit Housing Association 21,804 248,497 1,549 
			 The Guinness Trust 21,213 353,519 1,611 
			 
			  2005
			 Home Group Limited 45,635 612,593 99,998 
			 North British 42,336 712,166 1,483 
			 Sanctuary 34,623 534,600 8,100 
			 Wakefield And District 31,904 0 n/a 
			 Hyde 30,958 427,912 8,404 
			 Anchor Trust 30,253 197,550 30,787 
			 London and Quadrant Housing Trust 26,393 511,349 19,917 
			 Riverside 21,742 274,024 4,397 
			 Guinness Trust 21,374 382,400 3,383 
			 Metropolitan Housing Trust 18,107 496,659 12,739 
			 
			  2006
			 Home Group Limited 46,111 675,764 8,180 
			 North British 43,140 748,431 7,802 
			 Sanctuary 38,505 547,200 10,300 
			 Wakefield and District 31,596 103,804 27,772 
			 Anchor Trust (LH4095) 30,374 226,997 32,986 
			 London and Quadrant Housing Trust 26,709 583,015 25,983 
			 Hyde 23,827 502,431 5,131 
			 Riverside 23,176 297,099 2,166 
			 Guinness Trust 21,781 408,414 5,525 
			 West Hampstead 20,620 148 5,932 
			  Source: Housing Corporation 
		
	
	For 2002 to 2004 Home Group appears twice owing to the unusual group structure in which the stock was owned by Home Group but managed by Home Housing Association.
	In 2004 Wakefield and District Housing Limited was one of the largest 10 RSLs but had only recently transferred prior to the end of the financial year at31 March 2005.

Religious Organisations (Grants)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department has provided in  (a) grant and  (b) non-repayable grant to (i) the Church of England, (ii) Islamic organisations and (iii) other religions in the past five years; who the recipients were of each grant; and what the amount of the grant was in each case.

Meg Munn: holding answer 30 October 2006
	There are a number of DCLG programmes where funding in the form of grants and non-repayable grants may ultimately reach the Church of England, Islamic organisations and other religions, but not exclusively so. Consequently the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Repossessions

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many house repossessions have occurred over the last 12 months.

Yvette Cooper: Data on repossessions of dwellings are collected by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and published at UK level as Table AP4: Possessions of mortgage properties, on the CML's website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/statistics
	According to these figures, 10,310 properties in the UK were repossessed in 2005, including those voluntarily surrendered by borrowers. This is less than 0.1 per cent. of the number of mortgaged properties at the end of the period. Figures below UK level are not published.

Safer and Stronger Communities Fund

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding has been made available for  (a) England,  (b) the West Midlands and  (c) Stoke-on-Trent via the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund.

Phil Woolas: A total of £233.52 million has been made available through the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund for 2006-07.
	The West Midlands region has a combined funding of £21.87 million for 2006-07.
	The funding allocation for Stoke on Trent for 2006-07 is £2.07 million.

Safer and Stronger Communities Fund

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to ensure that the areas which are most in need will benefit from the Safer and Stronger Communities Fund; and if she will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: The Safer and Stronger Communities Fund was introduced for all local authorities in England on 1 April 2005. The Fund was a new way of administering a number of Department for Communities and Local Government and Home Office funding streams that have a common theme; tackling crime, antisocial behaviour and, the harm caused by illegal drugs, improving the poor condition of public spaces, and improving the quality of life for people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods where the issues are more prevalent.
	The Safer and Stronger Communities Fund is designed to allow local partners more flexibility in deciding how programmes are delivered to local communities, and to reduce the bureaucracy associated with multiple funding streams. The Fund has been incorporated into the safer and stronger communities block of local area agreements.

School Playing Fields

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what changes have been made to  (a) planning guidance,  (b) circulars and  (c) regulations relating to development of (i) current and (ii) former school playing fields since May 1997.

Yvette Cooper: In December 1998, the Government published Environment Circular 09/98, which announced the introduction of a Direction under the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 1995. This Direction requires local planning authorities to notify the Secretary of State in cases where they propose to grant planning permission for development on a playing field where Sport England has made an objection, and allows the Secretary of State to decide whether the application should be called in or left to the local authority to determine.
	In July 2002, the Government published Planning Policy Guidance 17 (PPG17) "Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation". In addition to general policies designed to protect existing open spaces, sports and recreational buildings and land, PPG17 includes specific policies to prevent the development of playing fields unless strict criteria are met.

Special Protection Areas

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to issue  (a) a planning circular and  (b) guidance in relation to Special Protection Areas.

Yvette Cooper: In August 2005, the Government published Planning Policy Statement 9 (PPS9) "Biodiversity and Geological Conservation" together with a joint ODPM/Defra Circular "Biodiversity and Geological Conservation—Statutory obligations and their impact within the planning system" (ODPM 06/2005). A guide to good practice to accompany PPS9 was published in March 2006. Circular 06/2005 contains extensive administrative guidance on the application of the law relating to planning and nature conservation. It includes specific guidance on the procedures to be followed when considering plans and projects in and around internationally designated sites such as Special Protection Areas.
	In addition in August 2006 my Department published a consultation paper "Planning for the Protection of European Sites: Appropriate Assessment—Guidance for Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Documents". The final version of this guidance will accompany Schedule 1 of the amending Habitats Regulations due to come into force in February 2007. The amending regulations insert the requirement to carry out Appropriate Assessment (AA) of land use plans to ensure the protection of the integrity of European sites such as Special Protection Areas as part of the planning process at a regional and local level.
	The Government currently have no plans to issue further guidance or circulars on these matters.

Travellers

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many permanent and temporary planning permissions for gypsy sites have been awarded since the Planning Circular 01/06 came into effect; and how many were issued during the equivalent period before the Circular was issued.

Meg Munn: The following table shows the number and outcome of planning appeals determined by and on behalf of the Secretary of State since the publication of ODPM Planning Circular 01/06 and in the equivalent period prior to the publication of the Circular. The statistics shown as follows include enforcement appeals as well as planning appeals. All appeals have been counted separately even where appeals were linked and handled together. The Planning Inspectorate does not hold information on whether the permissions granted are permanent or temporary. The Department does not collect information on the numbers of permissions granted for gypsy and traveller sites by local planning authorities.
	
		
			   Permissions granted between 1 May 2005 and 1 February 2006 (pre publication of Circular 01/06)  Permissions granted between 2 February 2006 and 25 October 2006 (post publication of Circular 01/06) 
			 Number of appeals during period 270 44 
			 Number allowed (permission granted) 40 26 
			 Number dismissed (permission refused) 230 18

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether double glazing is  (a) a value significant and  (b) dwellinghouse code property attribute in the Valuation Office Agency's Automated Valuation Model.

Phil Woolas: No.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of domestic properties in England is classified by the Valuation Office Agency with a dwellinghouse code of  (a) Heating: Y and  (b) Heating: N.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) holds limited information about heating in domestic properties. For arriving at a banding for council tax purposes the presence or absence of heating would only be relevant in those comparatively rare cases where this would significantly affect the property's value. The Automated Valuation Model, developed for the (now postponed) 2007 revaluation, does not therefore treat the presence or absence of heating as a significant factor. The VOA's records provide for the recording of this information if it becomes available. At present fewer than 0.1 per cent. of properties are recorded as not having heating.

Waste Management

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what planning guidance her Department offers to local authorities on recycling facilities and their proximity to the origin of the materials recycled; and if she will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: Planning policy on the management of waste is set out in Planning Policy Statement 10: "Planning for Sustainable Waste Management (PPS10)", published in July 2005. Practical guidance on the delivery of that policy is contained in its associated "Companion Guide", published in June 2006. PPS10 requires all planning authorities to prepare and deliver planning strategies that help deliver sustainable development though driving waste management up the waste hierarchy, with a preference for reduction, re-use, recycling and composting, using waste as source of energy and, where these are not practicable, only looking to disposal as the last option to be considered. PPS10 requires that where disposal of waste has to take place planning authorities should enable this in one of the nearest appropriate installations. It also advises that when selecting sites suitable for waste management facilities, authorities should assess them against the capacity of existing and potential transport infrastructure to support the sustainable movement of waste, and products arising from resource recovery, seeking where practicable and beneficial to use modes other than road transport.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Air Pollution

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to combat the damage to health caused by indoor air pollution in developing countries;
	(2)  what steps the Government have taken to combat the environmental causes of acute lower respiratory infection in children in the developing world.

Gareth Thomas: The International Energy Agency estimates that about 2.4 billion people worldwide depend on traditional biomass such as charcoal, wood and straw to meet their daily household cooking and heating needs. This is often burnt inefficiently and is a source of indoor smoke pollution. It causes ill health, especially for women and children who tend to receive most exposure. The World Health Organisation estimates that 1.5 million deaths a year in developing countries are attributable to indoor smoke, with millions more suffering from chronic respiratory illness. Solutions include more efficient cooking stoves, cleaner fuels and proper ventilation. Changes in behaviour through better awareness of the dangers can also make a significant difference.
	According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution and possibly second-hand tobacco smoke are to blame for an estimated 42 per cent. of lower respiratory infections in developing countries. The UK has pledged to increase its share for the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), providing approximately £140 million over the next four years. The GEF supports sustainable energy and transportation initiatives that reduce pollution.
	However, lower respiratory infections in developing countries are mainly associated with indoor air pollution related largely to household solid fuel use. The International Energy Agency estimates that about 2.4 billion people worldwide depend on traditional biomass such as charcoal, wood and straw to meet their daily household cooking and heating needs. The smoke produced causes ill health, especially for women and children who tend to receive most exposure. Around 1.5 million deaths a year are in developing countries attributable to indoor smoke, with millions more suffering from chronic respiratory illness. The solutions include improved more efficient cooking stoves, cleaner fuels and proper ventilation. Changes in use behaviour through better awareness of the dangers can also make a significant difference.
	DFID is the second largest contributor to the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP). We have made core contributions to ESMAP of £0.5 million in each of the last four years. In 2002, we agreed with the Bank that household fuel and health be taken up as a major theme. As a result, the programme has worked in five developing countries, looking at health impacts, improved cooking stoves and cleaner fuels. An example is DFID funding in 2002 of approximately £0.5 million for an ESMAP programme in four provinces in China on new stove and ventilation technologies.
	The UK also supports the work of Practical Action (previously the Intermediate Technology Development Group), the Partnership on Clean Indoor Air (PCIA) and the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP). This includes programmes that aim to improve energy access and reduce the huge environmental costs of solid fuels.

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will assess the  (a) effectiveness,  (b) consistency and  (c) social and economic impact of provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: There is no single model for the structure and activities of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) in Afghanistan. This is largely due to the number of different nationalities involved in managing PRTs: there are currently 24 PRTs (25 as of 9 November when Turkey establishes itself in Wardak) involving 25 nations. Since the concept began in 2002, there has been limited strategic guidance from the Government of Afghanistan or the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as to the role or mandate of PRTs and individual nations have interpreted approaches independently. However, the recent expansion of ISAF has brought a considerable improvement in coherence and consistency, and regular PRT workshops have proven useful ways to share best practice and learn lessons.
	In July 2005 DFID commissioned the King's Fund to conduct a review of the UK's involvement in Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan. This review involved field visits to the PRTs in Bamyan, Jalalabad, Kandahar, and Mazar-e-Sharif, as well as extensive interviews in Kabul and Bagram Airbase. The review concluded that the sheer number of PRTs operating in Afghanistan made it hard to form a single conclusion on their effectiveness or impact. The review highlighted the variation in national interpretation, of the PRT mandate, with significant differentials in PRTs' approaches to development, funding allocations, and combinations of civilian and military personnel. The Kings Fund highlighted that PRTs naturally adopt a different emphasis from each other, shaped by the political environment and the PRT internal institutional context.
	ISAF has recently prepared a PRT Handbook which is undergoing final revision and has worked hard to enhance consistency across PRTs in future. We have contacted ISAF to find whether a broader assessment has been made on the social and economic impact of PRTs nationally. No such data is currently available.

Afghanistan

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) development projects and  (b) non-governmental organisations activities the Department has ceased to fund since 2002 in Afghanistan.

Hilary Benn: The following table identifies projects funded by DFID in Afghanistan since 2002 that are now complete. Beside each project, there is list of project implementing partners, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Whether programmes or projects are directed through NGOs, the Government or multilateral, DFID funding contributions have come to an end when the programme/project reached completion stage as specified in the project contract.
	
		
			  Projects funded by DFID in Afghanistan since 2002 that are now complete, including NGOs 
			  Project title  Purpose  Implementing partners—including NGOs 
			 International Financial Institutions arrears clearance To clear arrears with the International Financial Institutions incurred by the Afghan Government, in order to allow them to access further loans from these institutions World Bank 
			 Ministry of Finance/Central Bank Enhanced economic and financial management in Afghanistan To help build the capacity and systems of the Ministry of Finance and Central bank for enhanced economic and financial management in Afghanistan Ministry of Finance 
			 Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency Fund Support to the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency for the Afghanistan Investment Guarantee Facility (AIGF) World Bank 
			 Procurement Support for the AACA Procurement support for the Afghanistan Authority for the co-ordination of Assistance (ACCA) Afghanistan Authority for the Co-ordination of Assistance (Govt) 
			 Bridging support for Tax Administration in Afghanistan To provide bridging support for tax administration to the Afghan Transitional Government Ministry of Finance 
			 Budget Support to the Ministry of Health Enhance the delivery of health services in Afghanistan by providing direct funding to the Ministry to enable it to begin managing its own resources and understanding the difficulties of resource allocation and budgeting Ministry of Health 
			 Support to Customs in Afghanistan To provide four experienced customs officers to support the present Afghan customs advisers to implement manual customs cargo processing systems at Kabul airport and Kabul customs house Ministry of Finance 
			 Support to Statistical Office The purpose of this mission is to assist the Central Statistical Office (CSO) in preparing a Strategy Plan for the whole statistical system in Afghanistan Central Statistic Office 
			 Counter Narcotics Trust Fund Budget To set out a clear framework and to establish a Counter Narcotics Public Investment Programme (CN PIP) within the Government of Afghanistan's Core Development Budget process for expenditure on Counter-Narcotics including through the Counter-Narcotics Trust Fund (CNTF) United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 
			 IMF/WB Technical Assistance To participate in an IMF/World Bank mission which scope the technical assistance requirements of the Afghan Central Bank World Bank 
			 Accelerating Budget Execution To kick-start the mechanisms for the acceleration of the execution of the non-salary operating budget in Afghan provinces Ministry of Finance 
			 Public Expenditure Review Support the World Bank Public expenditure review through provision of an expert who will conduct a Security Sector Public Expenditure Review World Bank 
			 Budget Process Adviser The primary objective is to assist the Ministry of Finance in doing a gap analysis of the budget process with particular emphasis on budget preparation and execution Ministry of Finance 
			 Voter Registration To support the UNDP voter registration process in Afghanistan UNDP 
			 Support to 2004 Afghan Elections To support the planning and implementation of elections in Afghanistan UNDP 
			 Support to Afghanistan's Parliamentary Elections Support to UNDP and Afghan Civil Society Forum in their efforts to provide civic education for September 2005 elections UNDP 
			 Civic Education for Voter Registration Project To support Swiss Peace in their efforts to provide civic education in preparation for the elections Swiss Peace 
			 Constitutional Review process To develop a new constitution for Afghanistan United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) 
			 Constitutional Study To identify the key issues underpinning Afghanistan's constitutional and political development and to identify key policy options for the Afghan Transitional Administration and other members of the international community UNAMA 
			 DFID Support to Provincial Reconstruction Teams To improve security in Afghanistan and to provide development assistance in the regions UK Provincial Reconstruction Teams 
			 Election monitoring To improve the electoral process by monitoring it closely and making an independent assessment of the first presidential election of Afghanistan Free and Fair Elections Foundation for Afghanistan (FEFA) 
			 Ministerial Salaries To design a system to ensure ATA ministers are paid salaries and expenses in a timely manner Crown Agents/Ministry of Finance 
			 Ministerial Expenses Support To support the accommodation, security, travel and hospitality of Cabinet Ministers Crown Agents/Ministry of Finance 
			 Support to OAA and IARCSC To provide interim capacity building support to the Office of Administrative Affairs and the Independent Administrative Reform Civil Service Commission in Afghanistan Adam Smith Institute 
			 Support to Afghanistan's Parliamentary Elections Support to UNDP and Afghan Civil Society Forum in their efforts to provide civic education for September2005 elections UNDP and Afghan Civil Society Forum 
			 Support to election register To provide support to the UNDP plan to carry out election registration in Afghanistan UNDP 
			 Badakhshan, Integrated Rural Rehabilitation to Improve Livelihoods and Curb Poppy Cultivation To provide support for sustainable economic and social incentives to make food production and off farm employment an attractive alternative to opium cultivation. The program is part of AKF's larger integrated food security and social development strategy for Badakhshan Aga Khan 
			 Food security and health in poor rural settlements in Badakhshan, Konar and Ghor To improve inter-district road access, strengthen local development management capacity, improve capacity, improve crop production and livestock health, improve mother and child health and raise awareness of gender and child rights AfghanAid 
			 Improving access to primary education in western Afghanistan To reconstruct and rehabilitate primary schools. To provide accommodation for 16,200 children (over 50 per cent. girls) and employment opportunities for 300 teachers and 10 headmasters and the provision of stationery and textbooks Ockenden International 
			 Rehabilitation of Agriculture systems in Badakshan To re-establish and strengthen food production capacity for reducing the poverty and vulnerability of farming communities affected by complex disasters over the last 20 years of the Afghan conflict Aga Khan 
			 ACTED—Rehabilitation of livelihoods in conflict affected areas, Kabul and Baghlan provinces The rehabilitation of essential water supply and transport services, supporting the re-establishment of returnees by providing starter kits for housing construction and work opportunities for local people ACTED 
			 Afghanistan drought relief interventions and ongoing rehabilitation To provide improved food security and living conditions for 12,600 vulnerable families of Takhar and Badakhshan provinces, and emergency winter shelter and assistance for 4,000 in East Kunduz and West Takhar provinces TEARFUND 
			 Relief to vulnerable families, Herat and Badghis To meet the short-term humanitarian needs and address the medium-term livelihood needs of conflict and drought affected families in four districts of Badghis and Herat provinces Christian Aid 
			 Okenden International—Emergency Relief Assistance to IDPs in Badghis To provide immediate relief to displaced families in Kushk-e-Kuna and ala Murghan through the supply of appropriate and targeted relief materials and foodstuffs Okenden International 
			 Vulnerable Family Food Assistance and Livelihood Restoration Programme To provide 22,780 drought affected and vulnerable families with 50 kg of wheat per family per month over five months Christian Aid 
			 Solidarities-Seeds and Fertilizers' Distribution to returnees of Bamyan Province To increase agricultural production, to stabilise the returnees and initiate sustainable development through (1) helping 6,800 families of returnees from Bamyan and Saighan districts settle again by starting agricultural activities and (2) improving the yields obtained by farmers usually cultivating spring wheat through introduction of improved wheat seeds Solidarities (NGO)

Afghanistan

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) staff and  (b) funds his Department have committed to Helmand Province and Kandahar Province.

Hilary Benn: As part of the original UK Joint Plan for Helmand, DFID deployed one development adviser to work alongside other UK Government Departments in Helmand. In January 2007, DFID will fund and take responsibility for the quick impact project manager.
	DFID has committed £4 million this financial year to the UK Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) funding allocation of £6.5 million for the delivery of quick impact projects (QIPS) in Helmand.
	DFID has also funded the £30 million Helmand Agricultural Rural Development Programme (HARDP) which will run for three years.
	Some of DFID's other livelihoods programmes operate in Helmand. Through the £3 million DFID-funded Research into Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF), the Restorative Agriculture and Rural Economy Research Project, implemented by Mercy Corps, is working on export feasibility of grapes, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplants and okra, and has made strong contacts with raisin importers (organic and fair-trade). The programme is evaluating at least 10 different small-scale agri-processing industries, and producing case studies of enterprises that prove to have value added, for example tomato paste.
	We have not committed any funds specifically to Kandahar. A development adviser has been recruited to be based in Kandahar for 2007.

Afghanistan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1887W, on Afghanistan, how many staff from his Department are based in Helmand Province to oversee the spending of the £37 million referred to; and what auditing procedures are in place to ensure value for money and transparency.

Hilary Benn: The UK Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) (referred to in answer,  Official Report, column 1887W to which DFID has committed £4 million) is managed by the Helmand Executive Group, consisting of members of four UK Government Departments, with financial accountability resting with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The UK has deployed a Quick Impact Project Manager to Helmand to manage the GCPP financial systems on behalf of all Government Departments. DFID has deployed one Development Adviser to work alongside other Government Departments in Helmand province.
	The £30 million committed to the Helmand Agricultural Rural Development Programme (HARDP) is implemented by the Government of Afghanistan. This is an important way of strengthening Government systems and building effective state institutions that will be able to continue to meet Afghanistan's development needs. This is managed by the three-person Livelihoods Team in Kabul, who work closely with the Ministry of Reconstruction and Rural Development (MRRD) and the Ministry of Finance in Kabul to ensure proper implementation. In the delivery of HARDP all procurement for services is undertaken by the Ministry of Reconstruction and Rural Development (MRRD) using recently adopted Government of Afghanistan procedures, which are based on World Bank procurement best practice. MRRD is responsible for identification, selection and appointment of Facilitating Partners. This is carried out through a competitive bidding process.
	DFID funds are channelled through Crown Agents Financial Services Limited (CAFSL). The Ministry of Finance and MRRD will be required to provide annual audited statements by the Government of Afghanistan Auditor General, with copies to DFID. This will provide assurance that the funds are transferred for the purposes specified in the agreement with the Government of Afghanistan. The existing National Priority Programmes were set up following international accounting and auditing procedures, and there are oversight mechanisms already in place which will provide adequate reassurance that fiduciary risks are being managed.
	Referring to the £3 million funding to the Research into Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF), this is similarly managed by DFID Afghanistan. Lead agencies implementing projects under RALF (i.e. Mercy Corps implementing the Restorative Agriculture and Rural Economy (RARE) Research Project in Helmand) account to the International Centre for Agriculture and Rural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) on utilisation of project funds. ICARDA account for utilisation of programme funds (including funds allocated to individual projects) to DFID, reporting on a six monthly basis.

Afghanistan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1887W, on Afghanistan, how many of the projects cited  (a) have been completed,  (b) are currently under way and  (c) are yet to be undertaken.

Hilary Benn: Referring to the answer of 25 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1887W, on Afghanistan, 12 projects have been completed, 40 are currently on-going and 7 are committed but yet to be undertaken.
	The number of projects has increased to 59 since the answer of the 25 October.

Departmental Staff

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in his Department received bonus payments in each of the last five years for which information is available; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the total amount of bonuses paid has been; what the largest single payment was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The following two tables give the number of non-pensionable bonuses awarded to DFID staff in the last four years (figures for 2001-02 are not available) with total cost in each year and the largest single payment in each year.
	
		
			  Non-pensionable bonuses awarded to DFID senior civil servants (SCS) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Number of awards 27 57 68 65 
			 Number of awards as a proportion of the number of DFID SCS staff (percentage) 43.5 73.1 79.1 77.3 
			 Total cost (£) 85,051 189,500 266,750 377,100 
			 Largest individual payment (£) 5,793.00 5,407 5,500 8,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Non-pensionable bonuses awarded to DFID staff below SCS 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Number of awards 323 654 508 1,106 
			 Number of awards as a proportion of the number of DFID HCS staff (percentage) 20.0 34.9 27.6 62.7 
			 Total cost (£) 292,528 285,601 230,600 515,865 
			 Largest individual payment (£) 1,715 1,100 1,150 1,150

Developing Countries (Health)

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department has taken to address  (a) underweight,  (b) unsafe sex,  (c) unsafe water and sanitation and  (d) indoor air pollution in high-mortality countries.

Gareth Thomas: Globally, around 800 million people do not get enough to eat. Malnutrition is a factor in over half the under-5 deaths in developing countries, 150 million children under 5 are underweight. More than 20 million low birth weight (LBW) babies are born each year. LBW babies are more likely to die in infancy, suffer from stunted growth, and ultimately suffer reduced working ability and earnings as adults.
	DFID is working with developing countries and the international community to reduce hunger and improve livelihoods. One way to do this is through supporting programmes that help increase the amount and availability of food that people produce in poor countries. This increases the food supply and in turn lowers prices. This helps those very poor people who rely on the market to get access to cheaper food. Between 2004-05, the UK provided nearly £124 million in direct support to agriculture in poor countries. DFID is also working to improve child health by improving access to basic services such as health, education and water and sanitation, by promoting critical investment in infrastructure, such as clinics, clean water and market access roads.
	340 million new cases of largely treatable sexually transmitted infections occur annually, 100 million of them among young people. 58 million people are infected with HIV. 20 million have died, and in sub-Saharan Africa it is the leading cause of death. Women and young people are particularly vulnerable. Fewer than one in five people at risk have access to prevention information. Improving sexual and reproductive health through improved information, services and commodity supplies is among the most cost-effective of all development investments and is central to DFID's strategy. It saves and improves lives, slows the spread of HIV and AIDS, reduces poverty and encourages gender equality. Changes in sexual behaviour through better awareness of the dangers can make a significant difference. DFID's "Taking Action" the UK strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world commits the UK to an increase in our spending to at least £1.5 billion and offers financial and practical support to governments in improving treatment, care and prevention.
	The DFID-supported Joint Monitoring Programme of September 2006, estimated that spending to achieve the water MDG target needs to increase by one third and needs to double to achieve the sanitation target. These figures mask huge regional variations, with Ethiopia needing to increase its efforts in water by a factor of 13.5; DRC by 4.8 and Mozambique by 3.3 if the target is to be reached.
	This is why in the recent White paper, "Making governance work for the poor", DFID committed to doubling our direct spending on water and sanitation in Africa to £95 million per year by 2007-08 and more than doubling again to £200 million per year by 2010-11. We are directly involved in seven African countries (Ethiopia, DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia), and through our funding of other agencies' programmes, including the World Bank, the EU and the African and Asian Development Banks, we reach many other countries.
	We support the EU Water Initiative, which aims to make the aid provided by the EU member states more effective. EU member states provide the largest funding in the water sector to Africa. We also support the EU Water Facility, which through funding of €230 million aims to make drinking water available to an additional 10 million people and basic sanitation to 5 million by 2010.
	The International Energy Agency estimates that about 2.4 billion people worldwide depend on traditional biomass such as charcoal, wood and straw to meet their daily household cooking and heating needs. This is often burnt inefficiently and is a source of indoor smoke pollution. It causes ill-health, especially for women and children who tend to receive most exposure. The World Health Organisation estimates that 1.5 million deaths a year in developing countries are attributable to indoor smoke, with millions more suffering from chronic respiratory illness. Solutions include improved more efficient cooking stoves, cleaner fuels and proper ventilation. Changes in behaviour through better awareness of the dangers can also make a significant difference.
	DFID is the second largest contributor to the World Bank's Energy Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP). We have made core contributions to ESMAP of £0.5 million in each of the last four years. In 2002, we agreed with the World Bank that household fuel and health be taken up as a major theme. As a result, the programme has worked in five developing countries, looking at health impacts, improved cooking stoves and cleaner fuels. An example is DFID funding in 2002 of approximately £0.5m for an ESMAP programme in four provinces in China on new stove and ventilation technologies.
	The UK also supports the work of Practical Action (previously the Intermediate Technology Development Group), the Partnership on Clean Indoor Air (PCIA) and the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP). These include programmes that aim to improve energy access and reduce the huge environmental costs of solid fuels.

Economic Partnership Agreements

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has received from  (a) African, Caribbean and Pacific Governments,  (b) UK companies,  (c) other companies,  (d) corporate umbrella groups and  (e) other European Governments with regard to economic partnership agreements.

Gareth Thomas: Economic partnership agreements, (EPAs) are routinely discussed in meetings that DFID Ministers and senior officials have with representatives of African, Caribbean and Pacific Governments, with EU member states and with private sector representatives.

Infant Mortality

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress has been made towards Millennium Development Goal 4 on infant mortality; what steps his Department is taking to help meet the target; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: Many countries have succeeded in improving the health and well-being of children. However the number of children dying before their fifth birthday remains high. In 1980 an estimated 13 million children died each year; over two decades later in 2004 this figure had reduced to 10.5 million deaths in childhood. Unfortunately where least progress has been made is in saving the lives of newborns—40 per cent. of all childhood deaths take place in the first 28 days of life, and most of these in the first day or week of life. If current trends continue, Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 4 will not be achieved until 2045—over 30 years late.
	Most child deaths are preventable and could be avoided by delivering basic services and supplies to families, young people and communities. For example: improving water supplies and sanitation; increasing the use of mosquito repellent bed nets to protect children from malaria; improving maternal health care, increasing emphasis on breastfeeding and improved nutrition and immunisation programmes. Improving access to basic health services requires that hospitals and health centres have well-trained doctors, nurses and midwives as well as the medicines and equipment to do their job.
	The health of babies and children can also be improved by preventing HIV infection in girls and women and by making sure that HIV infected women have access to treatment and care in pregnancy, child birth and beyond. The UK Government's view is that improving the health of children (MDG 4) goes hand in hand with improving the health of their mothers (MDG 5).
	The UK wants to make faster progress towards both these MDGs. We are working with many countries, including India, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Nigeria to achieve this. In Kenya, DFID committed £19.6 million to a programme providing 11 million bed nets treated with insecticide. They will be available to over 75 per cent. of the vulnerable population by 2007-08, allowing them to sleep safely and free from malaria. It is estimated that the lives of 167,000 children will be saved as a result. In Bangladesh, maternal health is the first objective of a new US$ 4.3 billion health sector-wide programme which DFID is contributing £100 million over five years.
	DFID also contributes to global projects such as the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) which could save the lives of five million children by 2015, and a further five million after that as they are immunised. The UK has promised $2.6 billion (£1.3 billion).

IT Projects

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many and what percentage of information technology projects undertaken by or for his Department since 2001 have been delivered  (a) over budget,  (b) after their original deadline,  (c) on budget,  (d) under budget,  (e) on their original deadline and  (f) ahead of their original deadline.

Hilary Benn: DFID has undertaken four major IT projects since 2001.
	The Human Resource system had a projected supplier cost at tender of £1.18 million and was due to be implemented in 30 months. The first four modules were implemented in 36 months at a total supplier cost of £1.22 million.
	The HR system project was superseded by an HR Transformation project which aims to radically change the way HR services are delivered and improve people management. The HR Transformation project was initiated in March 2005 and has a budget of £6.5 million. It is primarily a business change project but it includes enhancements to the existing HR system and a number of smaller IT enabled components. The planned completion date is March 2008. The project is currently on track to deliver to time and budget.
	The contract for the Quest Electronic Document and Records Management project was signed in March 2004. The main rollout was originally estimated to be completed in December 2005. Detailed planning carried out in early 2005 led to a revised target date of March 2006, which was met. The projected supplier base cost at tender was £8.98 million. The projected total supplier cost is now £11.52 million, which includes implementation of a number of options available under the original contract but not included in the base cost.
	The Aries Finance, Procurement and Reporting System, had a projected base supplier cost at tender of £11 million and is due to be implemented in 36 months. A number of additional cost options are available under the contract. The Aries project is currently on track to deliver to time and budget.
	DFID has also undertaken a number of small IT related projects. However, our central records do not distinguish IT contracts, so provision of details for all of these projects would incur disproportionate costs.

Mineral Dependent Countries

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had on reducing levels of inequality in mineral dependent countries; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of large-scale mining operations on women in developing countries; and what he considers to be the policy implications for his Department of this assessment;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to help ensure that the rights of indigenous people are protected in countries with large-scale mining operations.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's involvement in the assessment and management of the impacts of large-scale mining projects on all vulnerable groups—including women, children, indigenous peoples and the poor—is indirect. We aim to influence the development of the systems and procedures used by the international financial institutions, in which we are 'shareholders'. They do invest directly in such projects.
	DFID has not itself undertaken specific assessments on the impact of large-scale mining on women, indigenous peoples or equity in developing countries, but is working to ensure effective systems are in place internationally to do this.
	We recognise that women, indigenous peoples and the poor can be disproportionately affected by negative social and environmental impacts of all scales of mining, large and small, and can be excluded from the economic benefits. As with any development, it is critical that the impacts on vulnerable groups are taken into account. We are working for this to be a routine requirement of mining project assessment and operating procedures.
	DFID has contributed to the development of environmental and social safeguard policies and procedures being implemented by the World Bank and its private sector arm—the International Finance Corporation. This includes policies on environmental and social assessment and the involvement of indigenous peoples and others in decision making.
	DFID has provided financial support and leadership for the work of the World Bank hosted Communities and Small scale Mining (CASM) initiative. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that women comprise up to 30 per cent. of the 13-20 million people directly engaged in small-scale, informal sector mining. They work predominantly in the hazardous mineral processing areas such as manual ore grinding, and use of mercury for gold extraction. CASM has provided grants for women's projects, for example helping set up the African Women in Mining Network, and helping develop gender components of mainly World Bank projects in Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. It has also supported workshops and conferences on women in mining, for example in Papua New Guinea, Philippines and Peru. It is now preparing guidance notes on managing gender issues in mining.
	Tackling inequality is an integral part of our work in all countries. DFID is working with several mineral resource rich developing country partners (for example the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Angola, and Sierra Leone) addressing issues including economic diversification, fairer terms and conditions for mine workers, minerals sector governance, public-private sector alliances and generally enhancing the contribution of mineral resource exploitation to growth, poverty reduction and sustainable development.

Ministerial Travel

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions he has visited  (a) Scotland,  (b) Wales and  (c) Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Hilary Benn: During the last 12 months I have visited Scotland on two occasions, 12 and 22/23 June and Wales on two occasions, 27 March and 4 October. I have not visited Northern Ireland. All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Ministerial Travel

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to offset the carbon dioxide emissions caused by ministerial travel in his Department.

Hilary Benn: All central Government ministerial and official air travel is being offset from 1 April 2006. Departmental aviation emissions are calculated on an annual basis and subsequently offset through payments to a central fund. The fund purchases Certified Emissions Reductions credits from energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with sustainable development benefits, located in developing countries.
	Emissions generated through road travel are not offset but have been reduced significantly as both myself and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State use a Toyota Prius, the lowest carbon-emitting petrol hybrid vehicle currently available.

Mosquitos

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many mosquito nets were purchased by the UK for the developing world in each of the last 20 years; and which countries received such aid in each year.

Gareth Thomas: DFID provides considerable support for the purchase and distribution of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) through a number of programme and health sector approaches, including budgetary support to developing countries. Information in the form requested is not held centrally by DFID, because our support for ITNs is usually provided as part of a larger package of measures to improve health and combat malaria.
	DFID supports the World Health Organisation, the Roll Bank Malaria partnership, UNICEF and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM), which all help finance the purchase and distribution of ITNs in developing countries. The UK has, for example, doubled its funding to the GFATM for 2006 and 2007 to £100 million annually, subject to performance. The GFATM has become a major source of funding for ITNs globally and expects to have financed the purchase of 109 million bed nets in its five funding rounds to date.
	DFID's bilateral programmes support countries to develop strong and sustainable health services that are able to scale-up the coverage of services including access to ITNs. In some countries, funding is provided as part of our overall support for poverty reduction and implementation of health sector plans. In such settings, it is not possible to attribute the number of nets to a particular donor. What we are interested in seeing is overall national increases in the distribution and use of bed nets, and many countries are making good progress in promoting ITN use.
	DFID does provide direct support specifically for provision of ITNs in several countries. For example, In Kenya, DFID has committed £47.4 million for social marketing of ITNs, with the goal of reaching 60 per cent. coverage of children under five and 40 per cent. coverage of pregnant women by the end of 2007, by selling 11.1 million nets at highly subsidised and affordable prices.
	In Ghana, our support has helped procure 1.8 million long-lasting insecticide treated nets through UNICEF for free distribution to children under two years of age as part of the November 2006 measles campaign. In Democratic Republic of Congo, one million nets have been distributed over a period of four years from 2003 to 2006.
	In Malawi, delivery of ITNs is combined with other services. A nationwide programme has been in operation through antenatal services since 2002. More than 100,000 ITNs have been delivered every month since the programme began, and solid results achieved. ITN coverage of under-fives has risen from around 8 per cent. in 2000 to more than 60 per cent. in some districts in 2006.
	In Tanzania ITNs are being rolled-out through a subsidised voucher scheme for pregnant women involving over 3,000 service delivery outlets. This is enabling more women to access ITNs, and is helping create more demand for local production.
	All of these efforts are contributing to widespread use of ITNs as a vital element of the effort to combat malaria. DFID will continue to play a full part in supporting the wider availability and use of ITNs.

Tuberculosis

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding he has made available to  (a) the Global Fund and  (b) other medical bodies for research into new vaccines for TB.

Gareth Thomas: DFID funding for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria is to support the scale-up of services, rather than research. DFID has doubled its pledge for 2006 and 2007 to £100 million annually, subject to performance. DFID currently supports the research and development of TB drugs and diagnostics through its funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) and the public/private Product Development Partnership, the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development. TDR will receive £4.5 million over three yeas, from 2005 to 2008. The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development will receive £6.5 million from 2005 to 2008 for the development of new TB drugs.

UN Peacebuilding Commission

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to encourage the UN Peacebuilding Commission to work more closely with civil society when helping countries that are emerging from conflict.

Gareth Thomas: Since the creation of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) in December last year, the UK has repeatedly argued for meaningful participation of civil society in meetings of the PBC. Given civil society's important role in peacebuilding, we believe that regular links between the PBC, national governments and national civil society will be essential to the PBC's effectiveness.
	While national civil society representatives were invited to speak at the first meetings of the PBC on Sierra Leone and Burundi on 12-13 October, the PBC has yet to agree formally on when, where and how they will participate. DFID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue to use every opportunity to influence other PBC members to agree to full civil society participation, both at the PBC meetings in New York and, importantly, in the PBC coordination meetings in Sierra Leone and Burundi. In parallel, we will also continue to lobby national governments in both countries to recognise the valuable contribution national civil society can make to building peace.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefits

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed able-bodied  (a) male and  (b) female workers aged (i) 20-29, (ii) 30-39, (iii) 40-49 and (iv) 50-59 years had their benefit disqualified for (A) two weeks, (B) four weeks, (C) 13 weeks and (D) 26 weeks in the last 12 months; and what the equivalent figures were in 2001-02.

James Plaskitt: The information is not available.

Benefits

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on the pursuance by the Benefit Fraud Hotline of fraud allegations in cases where the informant does not know the exact postal address of the person against whom the allegation is being made.

James Plaskitt: National Benefit Fraud Hotline (NBFH) operators are trained to take as much detail as possible from callers to establish the identity of the person against whom an allegation is made.
	Operators would not refuse to take details of an allegation if the full address is not known as the caller may have alternative information, such as details of an employer, to enable investigators to trace suspected individuals. If only a partial address is known, NBFH operators can undertake a search to trace a full address.
	In all cases, allegations are referred to the Fraud Investigation Service for consideration of investigation.

Benefits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action he is taking to improve reporting of  (a) reconsideration decisions,  (b) revisions,  (c) appeals and  (d) the recovery of overpayments due to departmental error.

James Plaskitt: Statistical information on the different aspects of decision making is gathered and collated on a daily basis. The Department is determined to ensure that when reported the information is accurate and credible. When last reported, in the Secretary of State's report on the standards of decision making in the Agencies in 2002 and 2003, the Comptroller and Auditor General raised concerns about the aspects of decision making referred to in the question. These concerns related in the main to the validation of the published figures. The Department is considering how best it can make the necessary improvements.
	A new computer system has recently been introduced in the Department's Debt Management organisation to improve the management, recording and accounting of overpayments and their recovery.

Benefits

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people received industrial injuries benefits in each of the last five years; how many received  (a) industrial injuries disablement benefit,  (b) reduced earnings allowance and  (c) retirement allowance; how much was paid in industrial injuries benefits in each year in each case; and how much was spent on administration of such benefits in each year in each case, broken down by (i) employee costs, (ii) IS/IT costs and (iii) other costs.

Jim Murphy: The available information is in the following tables.
	
		
			  Recipients of industrial injuries benefits in Great Britain at December each year 
			   Total  IIDB only  REA only  RA only  IIDB and REA  IIDB and RA  Unknown 
			 2001 341,220 196,590 49,260 27,370 42,680 25,310 20 
			 2002 342,390 198,980 47,950 28,420 40,390 26,640 20 
			 2003 341,910 201,130 45,830 29,420 37,790 27,720 20 
			 2004 341,010 203,260 43,280 30,270 35,480 28,710 10 
			 2005 338,970 204,230 41,100 30,930 33,150 29,540 20 
			  Notes: 1. IIDB = Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.  2. REA = Reduced Earnings Allowance.  3. RA = Retirement Allowance. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.   Source: Information Directorate, Industrial Injuries Computer System, 100 per cent. data. 
		
	
	
		
			  Industrial injuries benefits, out-turn expenditure, Great Britain 
			  £ million (cash terms) 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit 495 486 496 515 521 
			 Reduced Earnings Allowance 201 214 204 199 191 
			 Retirement Allowance 31 33 37 40 42 
			 Total 727 733 737 754 754 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are estimated by apportioning the out-turn total spending on all industrial disablement benefits using sample data on the number of assessments paid as IIDB, REA and RA.  2. The figures for total out-turn spending on all industrial disablement benefits are consistent with Table 3 published on the internet at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/Table3.xls 
		
	
	The Department accounts for its administrative expenditure by strategic objective as set out in its public service agreements (PSA) and by individual requests for resources (RfRs) as set out in the departmental estimates and accounts, and not by benefit. Information on administrative expenditure by strategic objective is available in the annually published departmental report, copies of which are available in the Library.

Benefits

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are receiving the  (a) carer's allowance,  (b) higher rate of attendance allowance and  (c) pension credit in (i) Chorley and (ii) each constituency in Lancashire.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Carer's allowance, higher-rate attendance allowance, and pension credit: numbers of recipients in each constituency in Lancashire at February 2006 
			  Constituency ( 1) Carer's allowance ( 2) Higher rate attendance allowance ( 1) Pension credit 
			 Blackburn 1,410 1,800 5,730 
			 Blackpool North and Fleetwood 970 2,100 6,580 
			 Blackpool South 1,050 1,700 6,840 
			 Burnley 820 1,500 5,120 
			 Chorley 630 1,300 4,060 
			 Fylde 620 2,000 4,220 
			 Hyndburn 880 2,000 5,000 
			 Lancaster and Wyre 580 1,700 4,130 
			 Morecambe and Lunesdale 770 1,400 5,180 
			 Pendle 900 1,300 4,660 
			 Preston 1,030 1,400 5,210 
			 Ribble Valley 440 1,600 3,000 
			 Rossendale and Darwen 760 1,500 4,420 
			 South Ribble 640 1,500 3,670 
			 West Lancashire 890 1,200 4,840 
			  Sources: (1 )DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (2 )DWP 5 per cent. sample data. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

Benefits

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the cost of the Benefit Simplification Unit was in each year since its establishment;
	(2)  what the key performance targets are for the Benefit Simplification Unit; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  when the Benefit Simplification Unit was established; what publications it has produced; and what assessment he has made of its performance against its objectives;
	(4)  what the key performance indicators are for the Benefit Simplification Unit;
	(5)  what the total  (a) set-up and  (b) running costs have been of the Benefit Simplification Unit.

James Plaskitt: We announced the setting up of a dedicated benefit simplification unit on 7 December 2005, at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearing into the National Audit Office report "Dealing with the complexity of the benefit system", published on 18 November 2005.
	The unit's role is to act as a catalyst in driving forward simplification across the benefits system, by challenging existing complexity and ensuring that the need to bear down on complexity is at the heart of future benefit design and delivery. As a first step, the unit published "Simplification: Guide to Best Practice" on 4 May 2006. Copies have been placed in the Library. The unit is now working to help embed best practice and over the summer has run a series of roadshows to raise awareness of the simplification agenda across the Department.
	Progress on simplification will be reported on annually in the departmental report, and the effectiveness of the unit will be reflected in the extent to which key performance indicators are met across the Department, where these indicators are partly dependent on the complexity of the system. The unit is also looking at whether it is possible to produce a reliable set of indicators to measure future progress.
	The unit was fully staffed by the end of July 2006 (including a secondee from Citizens Advice). There were no specific setup costs, as permanent staff were drawn from within the Department. Total running costs over the period January 2006 to September 2006 were £207,000.

Benefits

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his Answer of 27 March 2006,  Official Report, column 717W, on benefits, what consultations his Department has undertaken to inform its ongoing review of the non-dependant deduction regime; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The Government published the Welfare Reform Green Paper "A New Deal for Welfare; Empowering People to Work" (Cm 6730) which invited comments on the housing benefit scheme in general on 24 January. Although there was no specific reference to non-dependent deduction in the Green Paper, over 600 individuals and organisations gave their views in the consultation period. Of these, 11 specifically made a reference to non-dependent deductions. The Government response, "A New Deal for Welfare: Empowering People to Work. Consultation Report" (Cm 6859) was published on 19 June 2006.

Benefits

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in each constituency in Scotland receive the  (a) carer's allowance,  (b) higher rate of attendance allowance,  (c) pension credit and  (d) child benefit.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  Carer's allowance, higher-rate attendance allowance, pension credit and child benefit: numbers1 of recipients in each constituency in Scotland as at February 2006 
			  Constituency ( 2) Carer's allowance ( 2) Pension credit ( 3) Higher rate attendance allowance ( 4) Child benefit 
			 Aberdeen, North 560 4,800 1,400 8,860 
			 Aberdeen, South 330 3,250 900 8,650 
			 Airdrie and Shotts 910 5,380 1,200 10,940 
			 Angus 650 4,920 1,400 9,770 
			 Argyll and Bute 590 4,820 1,400 9,780 
			 Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock 1,130 5,750 1,500 11,040 
			 Banff and Buchan 770 4,660 1,200 10,250 
			 Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 590 5,280 1,300 10,200 
			 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 670 3,510 1,000 6,950 
			 Central Ayrshire 820 5,140 1,500 10,690 
			 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 910 6,060 1,700 12,110 
			 Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch, East 670 4,330 1,700 11,600 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 990 5,750 1,400 10,790 
			 Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale 670 4,560 1,400 9,690 
			 Dundee, East 730 4,590 1,700 10,310 
			 Dundee, West 770 6,020 1,700 9,510 
			 Dunfermline and West Fife 660 3,290 900 11,860 
			 East Dunbartonshire 370 2,470 1,300 10,040 
			 East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow 730 5,130 1,600 12,660 
			 East Lothian 680 4,640 1,800 11,490 
			 East Renfrewshire 520 3,070 1,400 11,470 
			 Edinburgh, East 650 4,490 800 8,230 
			 Edinburgh, North and Leith 490 3,570 1,000 8,070 
			 Edinburgh, South 450 2,730 800 8,590 
			 Edinburgh, South West 580 3,320 1,200 9,580 
			 Edinburgh, West 570 3,350 1,100 10,200 
			 Falkirk 930 5,610 1,300 12,840 
			 Glasgow, Central 870 6,530 1,200 7,060 
			 Glasgow, East 1,450 7,900 2,200 12,040 
			 Glasgow, North 510 4,170 1,000 6,110 
			 Glasgow, North East 1,320 8,770 1,500 10,550 
			 Glasgow North West 1,080 6,490 1,800 9,470 
			 Glasgow, South 850 5,580 1,100 10,290 
			 Glasgow, South West 1,100 7,140 1,700 10,830 
			 Glenrothes 1,040 4,990 1,100 11,320 
			 Gordon 390 2,820 1,000 11,280 
			 Inverclyde 830 5,960 1,600 10,480 
			 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 600 4,060 1,300 10,740 
			 Kilmarnock and Loudoun 1,010 6,090 1,500 11,810 
			 Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 880 5,120 1,400 11,220 
			 Lanark and Hamilton, East 930 5,830 1,600 11,410 
			 Linlithgow and East Falkirk 880 5,470 1,500 13,110 
			 Livingston 920 4,550 1,200 14,560 
			 Midlothian 660 3,570 1,300 10,040 
			 Moray 670 4,170 1,100 10,410 
			 Motherwell and Wishaw 980 6,150 1,900 11,520 
			 Na h-Eileanan an lar 210 2,510 400 2,870 
			 North Ayrshire and Arran 940 5,670 1,600 11,590 
			 North East Fife 440 3,220 1,000 8,180 
			 Ochil and South Perthshire 750 4,350 1,200 11,540 
			 Orkney and Shetland 230 1,960 600 4,860 
			 Paisley and Renfrewshire, North 650 4,420 1,400 11,260 
			 Paisley and Renfrewshire, South 680 5,670 1,200 10,420 
			 Perth and North Perthshire 650 4,580 2,000 10,280 
			 Ross, Skye and Lochaber 490 3,440 1,200 7,370 
			 Rutherglen and Hamilton, West 1,090 6,810 1,900 12,740 
			 Stirling 610 3,600 1,500 10,050 
			 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 350 2,510 1,000 10,880 
			 West Dunbartonshire 1,070 6,760 1,900 11,810 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Source: DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. (3) Source: DWP 5 per cent. sample data, rounded to the nearest 100. (4) AA figures are rounded to the nearest 100. (5) Figures are for August 2005.  Source:  HMRC published statistics

Benefits

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the discontinuation of the benefits reprocessing payments programme, with reference to  (a) aborted investment costs and  (b) replacement provision of information technology.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question about the discontinuation of the Benefit Processing Replacement Programme (BPRP), with reference to (a) aborted investment costs and (b) replacement provision of information. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Press estimates of the expenditure on the BPRP have considerably overstated the loss to public funds, because a significant proportion of its output to date is capable of being recycled. We are currently establishing the scope for re-use of components and the value of other assets acquired.
	Having formally closed the BPR Programme, we are currently undertaking a major planning exercise to support the delivery of the proposed Employment and Support Allowance. This will focus on the deployment of components of BPRP, existing legacy IT systems and proven technology from across the Department.
	I hope this is helpful.

Benefits

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many administrative changes there have been to housing benefit since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as detailed records of administrative changes are not collated centrally.

Benefits

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the value of all unclaimed benefits for each year since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Information relating to unclaimed benefits is only available for the following income-related benefits: income support (IS), minimum income guarantee (MIG), pension credit (PC), housing benefit (HB), council tax benefit (CTB), income-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA-IB) and family credit (FC). Estimates for individual benefits are published in the "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up" series; copies are available in the Library. Information on other benefits is not available.

Carers

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many carers for dependants other than children have been working less than 30 hours a week in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: It is not possible to provide data for all the years requested. In 2004-05, 53 per cent. of carers looking after an adult were in employment. Of those in employment, 35 per cent. were working less than 30 hours per week.

Carers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people were in receipt of carer's allowance in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The requested information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Carer's allowance—number of recipients at 28 February in each of the years from 2004 to 2006 
			   Number of people receiving carer's allowance( 1) 
			 2004 412,120 
			 2005 436,940 
			 2006 452,540 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10   Source: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS)

Carers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in receipt of carer's allowance work part-time;
	(2)  how many people in receipt of carer's allowance and working part-time are receiving the minimum wage;
	(3)  how many people he estimates will no longer be entitled to carer's allowance following the most recent increase in the minimum wage.

Anne McGuire: The requested information is not available.

Child Support Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what instructions Ministers in his Department gave to staff at the Child Support Agency during 2005-06 in relation to investigating the writing off of Child Support Agency arrears; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to write off uncollected Child Support Agency maintenance arrears; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 26 October 2006
	The hon. Member for Yeovil is referred to paragraph 58 of the Government's response to Sir David Henshaw: "A fresh start: child support redesign". This can be found on the internet at www.dwp.gov.uk.

Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus plans to reply to the letter of 23 May 2006 from the hon. Member for Aylesbury on the case of Mr. G. D. of Aylesbury, acknowledged by his Department on 31 May 2006, reference POS(7)10353/0116.

Anne McGuire: The chief executive of Jobcentre Plus replied to the hon. Member on 2 November 2006.

Crisis Loans

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many calls were received by Crisis Loans Direct helpline on average per day over the last 12 months of operation; what hours the lines are staffed; how many  (a) lines and  (b) answering staff there are; and whether information is collected on (i) aborted calls to that number, (ii) the number of calls made by each applicant and (iii) the time waited by each applicant before receiving a reply;
	(2)  how many applications for crisis loans were made in each local office for which he is responsible in  (a) the Isle of Wight and  (b) Hampshire in 2005-06; how many payments were agreed; and how many awards were made in each decile of payments by value.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 2 November 2006
	The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking how many calls were received by Crisis Loans Direct helpline on average per day over the last 12 months of operation; what hours the lines are staffed; how many  (a) lines and  (b) answering staff there are; and what information is collected on (i) aborted calls to that number, (ii) the number of calls made by each applicant and (iii) the time waited by each applicant before receiving a reply. You also asked how many applications for crisis loans were made in each local office for which you are responsible in  (a) the Isle of Wight and  (b) Hampshire in 2005-06; how many payments were agreed; and how many awards were made in each decile of payments by value.
	Jobcentre Plus does not have a national Crisis Loan helpline and therefore the information you have requested about the helpline is not available.
	There were 76,283 applications for Crisis Loans within the Jobcentre Plus district of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from 1 January 2005 to 24 October 2006. We cannot break these figures down between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Information about the numbers of payments agreed and the monetary value of the payments is only available on individual customer records and could only be gathered at disproportionate cost.
	I can tell you that the centre that deals with Crisis Loan applications for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight operates telephone lines between 08:30 to 15:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 10:00 to 15:30 on Wednesdays, there are 53 telephone lines staffed by 56 people.

Departmental Expenditure

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure his Department is incurring over the period 2002 to 2010 in relation to the plans for a national identity card; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information is not available; costs in relation to plans for a national identity card cannot be disaggregated from other ongoing Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) initiatives.
	The Home Office have the lead on the identity card scheme. We anticipate that more information on the detail of the scheme will become available as the Home Office move into the procurement phase. This will provide the information we need to fully assess the impacts on DWP business processes and supporting information technology systems.

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of his Department's databases are  (a) wholly and  (b) partly operated by external organisations or individuals; and which organisations and individuals own those databases.

Anne McGuire: All the Department's major IT systems are operated by external organisations. The majority are operated by Electronic Data Services (EDS), with a few being operated by Fujitsu and British Telecom (BT).
	In this context "operated" means that the IT service is provided, technically maintained and located at the external organisation's premises.
	The data are wholly owned by the Department.

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which databases operated by his Department are located  (a) wholly and  (b) partly outside the UK; and where each of those databases and parts of databases is located.

Anne McGuire: The Department has no databases located outside of the UK.

Disability Discrimination Acts

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of  (a) public houses,  (b) bars and  (c) restaurants in (i) Greater London and (ii) England which will be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Acts by the end of 2006.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 23 October 2006
	No estimates have been made as the Disability Discrimination Act does not set objective standards of compliance against which implementation may be measured. Instead, the Act requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to enable disabled people to access their services. What is reasonable for a particular service provider will depend on all the circumstances of the individual case. Factors such as the cost of the adjustment, its practicability, and the extent of the service provider's financial and other resources may all be taken into account in determining what is reasonable.
	However, the Department has undertaken a series of research projects to monitor how employers and service providers are responding to their duties under the Act. Research from 2003(1) looked at organisations' preparations for the 2004 duties requiring service providers to make reasonable adjustments; this found that over 70 per cent. of organisations had made adjustments to assist disabled customers. At the turn of the year we will be publishing new research on organisations' responses to the DDA which will include an updated look at adjustments made for disabled customers by service providers.
	(1 )Disability in the workplace: Employers' and service providers' responses to the Disability Discrimination Act in 2003 and preparation for 2004 changes.

Disability Living Allowance

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance claimants had been diagnosed with cancer in each year between 2000-01 and 2004-05.

Anne McGuire: Information is not available in the format requested. The information that is available is in the table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance: number of recipients at February in each of the years from 2001 to 2005 whose main disabling condition was recorded as "malignant disease"( 1) 
			   Numbers of DLA recipients 
			  February  
			 2001 50,500 
			 2002 54,400 
			 2003 55,410 
			 2004 58,190 
			 2005 61,400 
			 (1) "Malignant disease" includes all forms of cancer including carcinoma and leukaemia.  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and exclude cases where payment of the benefit has been suspended because, for example, the disabled person is in hospital.  2. Where the recipient has more than one disability, only the main disabling condition which gives rise to entitlement to the benefit is recorded. Where the recipient is receiving both the DLA care and mobility components, it is the main disabling condition which gave rise to entitlement to the mobility component which is recorded.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Disability Living Allowance

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) men and  (b) women in each constituency in Scotland receive the care component higher rate of disability living allowance.

Anne McGuire: The administration of disability living allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information required.
	 Letter from Terry Moran:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) men and (b) women receive the care component higher rate of disability living allowance in each constituency in Scotland.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The information available is in the attached annex.
	I hope this is helpful
	
		
			  Annex: Disability living allowance—cases in payment case load (thousands): Gender of claimant by parliamentary constituency of claimant (Westminster) with highest rate care award 
			  Parliamentary constituency of claimant (Westminster boundaries—2005 onwards)  Case load (thousands) male  Case load (thousands) female 
			 Aberdeen North 0.51 0.53 
			 Aberdeen South 0.31 0.29 
			 Airdrie and Shotts 0.80 0.97 
			 Angus 0.48 0.51 
			 Argyll and Bute 0.50 0.54 
			 Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock 0.79 0.81 
			 Banff and Buchan 0.60 0.56 
			 Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk 0.49 0.47 
			 Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross 0.41 0.39 
			 Central Ayrshire 0.60 0.67 
			 Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill 0.81 0.96 
			 Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East 0.60 0.71 
			 Dumfries and Galloway 0.68 0.74 
			 Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale 0.48 0.48 
			 Dundee East 0.55 0.63 
			 Dundee West 0.66 0.75 
			 Dunfermline and West Fife 0.52 0.56 
			 East Dunbartonshire 0.37 0.41 
			 East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow 0.61 0.62 
			 East Lothian 0.57 0.59 
			 East Renfrewshire 0.43 0.50 
			 Edinburgh East 0.65 0.68 
			 Edinburgh North and Leith 0.43 0.47 
			 Edinburgh South 0.39 0.36 
			 Edinburgh South West 0.52 0.45 
			 Edinburgh West 0.43 0.47 
			 Falkirk 0.68 0.76 
			 Glasgow Central 0.74 0.75 
			 Glasgow East 1.02 1.19 
			 Glasgow North 0.48 0.48 
			 Glasgow North East 0.97 1.10 
			 Glasgow North West 0.87 0.94 
			 Glasgow South 0.70 0.68 
			 Glasgow South West 0.81 0.97 
			 Glenrothes 0.68 0.71 
			 Gordon 0.35 0.31 
			 Inverclyde 0.66 0.65 
			 Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey 0.52 0.54 
			 Kilmarnock and Loudoun 0.68 0.72 
			 Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath 0.56 0.59 
			 Lanark and Hamilton East 0.79 0.89 
			 Linlithgow and East Falkirk 0.68 0.75 
			 Livingston 0.74 0.80 
			 Midlothian 0.53 0.57 
			 Moray 0.45 0.45 
			 Motherwell and Wishaw 0.76 0.85 
			 Na h-Eileanen an Iar 0.14 0.13 
			 North Ayrshire and Arran 0.65 0.70 
			 North East Fife 0.34 0.33 
			 Ochil and South Perthshire 0.56 0.62 
			 Orkney and Shetland 0.22 0.18 
			 Paisley and Renfrewshire North 0.61 0.71 
			 Paisley and Renfrewshire South 0.61 0.67 
			 Perth and North Perthshire 0.51 0.57 
			 Ross, Skye and Lochaber 0.33 0.37 
			 Rutherglen and Hamilton West 0.83 1.02 
			 Stirling 0.55 0.55 
			 West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine 0.28 0.28 
			 West Dunbartonshire 0.77 0.84 
			  Notes:  1. Case load (thousands): Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital.  2. Parliamentary constituency of claimant (Westminster): These constituencies are used for the Westminster Parliament. For the May 2005 general election, the constituencies in Scotland changed. These constituencies are included in the table from May 2005 onward.   Definitions and conventions: Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10.   Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Disability Living Allowance

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) men and  (b) women in each constituency in the East Midlands receive the care component higher rate of disability living allowance.

Anne McGuire: The administration of Disability Living Allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information required.
	 Letter from Terry Moran,:
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women receive the care component higher rate of disability living allowance in each constituency in the East Midlands.
	The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
	The information available is in the attached annex.
	I hope this is helpful.
	
		
			  Annex: disability living allowance cases in payment caseload: gender of claimant by parliamentary constituency of claimant (Westminster) with highest rate care award 
			  Parliamentary constituency of claimant (Westminster boundaries 2005 onwards)  Female  Male 
			 Amber Valley 570 500 
			 Ashfield 600 630 
			 Bassetlaw 580 590 
			 Blaby 350 350 
			 Bolsover 700 690 
			 Boston and Skegness 590 550 
			 Bosworth 380 370 
			 Broxtowe 460 370 
			 Charnwood 350 290 
			 Chesterfield 630 650 
			 Corby 500 470 
			 Daventry 350 330 
			 Derby North 470 510 
			 Derby South 690 660 
			 Erewash 510 470 
			 Gainsborough 440 440 
			 Gedling 380 420 
			 Grantham and Stamford 400 410 
			 Harborough 360 300 
			 High Peak 450 420 
			 Kettering 370 380 
			 Leicester East 570 490 
			 Leicester South 560 540 
			 Leicester West 520 560 
			 Lincoln 460 530 
			 Loughborough 310 300 
			 Louth and Horncastle 720 740 
			 Mansfield 650 610 
			 Newark 420 410 
			 North East Derbyshire 530 510 
			 North West Leicestershire 420 380 
			 Northampton North 410 450 
			 Northampton South 430 470 
			 Nottingham East 580 620 
			 Nottingham North 760 780 
			 Nottingham South 530 510 
			 Rushcliffe 380 340 
			 Rutland and Melton 250 270 
			 Sherwood 570 590 
			 Sleaford and North Hykeham 470 470 
			 South Derbyshire 540 620 
			 South Holland and The Deepings 450 400 
			 Wellingborough 430 420 
			 West Derbyshire 360 330 
			  Definitions and conventions: 1. Caseload are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. The boundaries of parliamentary constituencies do not correspond exactly to Government office regions (GORs).  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Disability Living Allowance

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former British servicemen and women who became amputees while on active service are in receipt of disability living allowance.

Anne McGuire: The requested information is not available.

EU Enlargement

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of EC Regulation 1408/71 on the UK benefit system since the EU accession in May 2004; and what he expects the effect on the benefit system to be when Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.

James Plaskitt: EEC Regulation 1408/71 co-ordinates the social security systems of member states for people who move within the European economic area. It prohibits discrimination on grounds of nationality; provides that contributions for benefits for sickness, invalidity, unemployment and retirement made in one member state may be taken into account to help satisfy the entitlement conditions in another; and determines which state is responsible for the payment of benefits. Income-related benefits, such as income support, are not paid to people who move permanently to other member states.
	There is no indication of any major impact as a result of this Regulation on DWP administered benefits since EU enlargement in 2004. We would expect the same to be the case after Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.

Health and Safety (Education Establishments)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research he has commissioned to determine how many over three-day injuries are not reported by young people injured on practical vocational training within educational establishments; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Department has not commissioned any such research. Over-three-day injuries to young people injured while undertaking practical vocational training within educational establishments are not reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995.
	Within such establishments, incidents that result in certain specified major injuries are, however, reportable under RIDDOR. We are aware that under-reporting is generally a problem. The Health and Safety Executive is therefore simplifying publicity material and guidance to make it clearer that reporting is easy to do simply by calling the national incident contact centre.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what action can be taken to stop jobseeker's allowance being paid to people serving prison sentences.

James Plaskitt: There are robust processes in place for preventing jobseeker's allowance overpayments to prisoners. However, where jobseeker's allowance overpayments do occur, the data that we receive from the Prison Service identify those who have failed to notify us that they have been committed to prison. We then take action to stop benefit and recover the overpayment.

Local Housing Allowance

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimates his Department has made of the impact of changing the size criteria for determining the local housing allowance to one based solely on bedroom entitlement on  (a) the percentage of claimants facing a shortfall between their eligible and contractual rent and  (b) the average size of that shortfall.

James Plaskitt: Any shortfall between the local housing allowance and contractual rent at the time of national roll-out of the local housing allowance will depend on the trends in local rent levels and the accommodation choices made by tenants. The trends in local rent levels up to the point of national roll-out are currently hard to predict and local housing allowance rates will vary across local private rent sector markets and different sizes of property.
	However, given the information currently available, we estimate the bedroom-only size criteria could result in losses of around two a week for small households, while three quarters of larger households are estimated to gain from the new size criteria.

Maternity Pay

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the level of statutory maternity pay was in each of the last 30 years at today's prices.

Anne McGuire: Statutory maternity pay was introduced in 1987. Since its inception, the first six weeks have been payable at 90 per cent. of the women's average weekly earnings, with no upper limit. Between 1987 and 5 April 2003 this was followed by a flat rate for the remainder of her maternity pay period. From 6 April 2003, the remainder of the maternity pay period is paid at the lesser of the flat rate or 90 per cent. of her average weekly earnings. The standard rates, together with the equivalent at 2005-06 prices, are in the table.
	
		
			  Rates of statutory maternity pay (SMP since 1987 and equivalent in 2005-06 prices) 
			  £ 
			   Standard SMP rate  Rate at 2005-06 prices 
			 1987 32.85 61.30 
			 1988 34.25 59.75 
			 1989 36.25 59.02 
			 1990 39.25 59.25 
			 1991 44.50 63.30 
			 1992 46.30 63.81 
			 1993 47.95 64.40 
			 1994 (part)(1) 48.80 64.57 
			 1994 (part)(1) 52.50 69.47 
			 1995 52.50 67.42 
			 1996 54.55 67.77 
			 1997 55.70 67.24 
			 1998 57.70 67.93 
			 1999 59.55 68.72 
			 2000 60.20 68.50 
			 2001 62.20 69.14 
			 2002 75.00 80.86 
			 2003 100.00 104.71 
			 2004 102.80 104.75 
			 2005 106.00 106.00 
			 2006 108.85 108.85 
			 (1) SMP rate increased for women with an expected week of confinement of 16 October 1994 or later.

Ministerial Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on how many occasions he has visited  (a) Scotland and  (b) Wales in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: The previous Secretary of State visited Scotland on 18 October 2005. The current Secretary of State has visited Scotland twice, on 17 November 2005 and 9 March 2006. The Secretary of State is due to visit Wales later this year.
	All ministerial visits are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.

Pensioners

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the value at 2006 prices of the 25 pence age addition for those aged 80 years old and over introduced in 1971.

James Purnell: If the 25p was uprated by the retail prices index since 1971, its value would be £2.50 in 2006 prices.
	 Note:
	1. The value has been estimated using the retail prices index produced by the Office for National Statistics.

Pensioners

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners aged 80 years old or over are in receipt of an occupational pension.

James Purnell: In 2004-05, there were 1.2 million people aged 80 or over in the UK in receipt of an occupational pension (includes pensions from a previous employer and pensions from the employer of a deceased spouse or relative).

Pensioners

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners over 80 years old there were in the United Kingdom in each year since 2001.

James Purnell: The information in the following table shows the total number of state pension recipients aged 80 and over in Great Britain.
	
		
			   Number 
			 February 2006 2,535,900 
			 February 2005 2,490,400 
			 February 2004 2,447,800 
			 February 2003 2,411,000 
			 March 2002 2,422,100 
			 March 2001 2,359,500 
			  Notes: 1. Data for March 2001 and 2002 are taken from the 5 per cent. extract of the pension service computer system and the figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall case load from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study with extra built in protection to protect identity.  2. The figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 3. The figures are lower in 2003 due to the changeover in our data from 5 per cent. sample data to 100 per cent. data.   Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data and 5 per cent. sample data.

Pensioners

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of state pension, including the 25 pence age allowance, was paid to over 80-year-olds in  (a) 1996 and  (b) 2006.

James Purnell: The average weekly amounts paid to state pension recipients aged 80 and over who are also in receipt of the 25 pence age addition are in the following table:
	
		
			  Years  £ per week 
			 September 2005 87.87 
			 September 1996 61.19 
			  Notes:  1. Data are taken from 5 per cent. extract of the Pension Service Computer System and the figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation. They are also adjusted to be consistent with the overall caseload from the Work and Pension Longitudinal Study with extra built in protection to protect identity.  2. Average amounts are rounded to the nearest penny.  3. Figures for 2006 are not yet available.   Source:  DWP information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data and 5 per cent. sample data.

Pensioners

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much on average pensioners received to help with heating bills in  (a) 1986,  (b) 1996 and  (c) 2006.

James Purnell: The exact information requested cannot be calculated from the available administrative data relating to the structure of the help available. Information that is available is as follows.
	The Social Fund Cold Weather Payments scheme was introduced in October 1988. It replaced a similar but not identical scheme which had begun in December 1986. No data are held for help given to pensioners in 1986 under this system.
	In 1996 help for pensioners was given through the Social Fund Cold Weather Payments scheme. Cold Weather Payments are made when the average temperature has been recorded as, or forecast to be, 0(0)C or below over seven consecutive days at the weather station linked to the eligible customer's postcode. A Cold Weather Payment of £8.50 is made for each week the temperature is triggered. These payments are not limited to pensioners. In total £61.6m was paid out to all recipients in 1995-96.
	In 2005-06 the amount paid in Winter Fuel Payments to people aged 60 or over was £2 billion and a further £5.6 million in Cold Weather Payments was paid to eligible pensioner households. The amount of Winter Fuel Payment a person receives depends on their age and whether there are other eligible people in the household. People aged 60-79 receive up to £200 and people aged 80 or over receive up to £300.
	Source for Cold Weather Payments: 1995-96 data—Annual report by the Secretary of State for Social Security on the Social Fund 1995-96, 2005-06 data—DWP Programme Accounting Computer System.
	Source for Winter Fuel Payments: DWP Information Directorate.

Security Passes

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many security passes have been reported  (a) lost and  (b) stolen by staff in his Department by year since February 2004.

James Plaskitt: The information for the Department and its agencies, with the exception of The Rent Service, is not available in the format requested. No central records are kept of passes that have been lost or stolen. However, security passes that have inbuilt access control for specific sites are always deactivated when reported lost or stolen.
	The Rent Service report that 37 security passes were reported as lost and eight security passes were reported as stolen since February 2004.

Telephone Interviews

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken was between seeking an appointment for a telephone interview and that interview taking place in the last year for which information is available, broken down by type of benefit.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 2 November 2006
	The information requested is not available.

Unemployment Payments

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on unemployment payments in each of the last 30 years at today's prices.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Unemployment benefits expenditure, Great Britain (real terms, 2006-07 prices) 
			  £ million 
			UB  JSA(C)  SB/IS( 1)  JSA(IB) 
			 1976-77 Outturn 2,734 — (3)n/a — 
			 1977-78 Outturn 2,708 — (3)n/a — 
			 1978-79 Outturn 2,452 — 1,998 — 
			 1979-80 Outturn 2,168 — 1,737 — 
			 1980-81 Outturn 3,597 — 2,232 — 
			 1981-82 Outturn 4,367 — 3,880 — 
			 1982-83 Outturn 3,595 — 6,152 — 
			 1983-84 Outturn 3,430 — 7,461 — 
			 1984-85 Outturn 3,436 — 8,121 — 
			 1985-86 Outturn 3,282 — 8,704 — 
			 1986-87 Outturn 3,471 — 8,679 — 
			 1987-88 Outturn 2,783 — 7,556 — 
			 1988-89 Outturn 1,961 — 5,396 — 
			 1989-90 Outturn 1,213 — 4,353 — 
			 1990-91 Outturn 1,335 — 4,512 — 
			 1991-92 Outturn 2,321 — 6,077 — 
			 1992-93 Outturn 2,469 — 7,544 — 
			 1993-94 Outturn 2,259 — 7,846 — 
			 1994-95 Outturn 1,750 — 6,980 — 
			 1995-96 Outturn 1,443 — 6,319 — 
			 1996-97 Outturn (2)1,164 (2)— 2,985 2,320 
			 1997-98 Outturn — 584 — 4,201 
			 1998-99 Outturn — 568 — 3,694 
			 1999-2000 Outturn — 539 — 3,285 
			 2000-01 Outturn — 518 — 2,824 
			 2001-02 Outturn — 532 — 2,417 
			 2002-03 Outturn — 569 — 2,309 
			 2003-04 Outturn — 542 — 2,193 
			 2004-05 Outturn — 465 — 1,851 
			 2005-06 Estimate outturn — 500 — 1,844 
			 2006-07 Plans — 530 — 1,931 
			 (1) Supplementary benefit and income support figures are for expenditure on unemployed claimants only. (2) 1996-97 figure for UB includes JSA(C). (3) Information for SB is not available prior to 1978-79  Notes: 1. UB = unemployment benefit; SB = supplementary benefit; IS = income support; JSA(C) = contributory jobseeker's allowance; JSA(IB) = income-based jobseeker's allowance 2. Figures are consistent with the Budget Report 2006. 3. Historic figures have been collated from departmental reports and accounts of DWP and its predecessor Departments. 4. Expenditure for 2005-06 reflects the latest benefit-by-benefit estimate of outturn, and not the amounts voted by Parliament.  Source: DWP Expenditure tables.

Winter Fuel Payments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what recent meetings has he held with  (a) National Energy Action,  (b) Energywatch and  (c) others to discuss the extension of eligibility for the winter fuel payment;
	(2)  if he will extend the eligibility for winter fuel payments to those groups who are eligible for cold weather payments; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will extend the eligibility for winter fuel payments to those groups who are already eligible for cold weather payments; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: There have been no recent meetings with National Energy Action or Energywatch. The Department for Work and Pensions holds a wide range of meeting with stakeholders; and these have covered fuel poverty.
	Winter fuel payments are made to most people aged 60 or over who are ordinarily resident in Great Britain. Older people are particularly vulnerable to the effects of cold weather during the winter months. We have no plans to extend the winter fuel payment to other groups who are eligible for cold weather payments.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Air Pollution

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of deaths in the Province resulting from air pollution in each of the last 20 years; and what steps have been taken to reduce the number of such deaths.

David Cairns: Statistics on deaths from air pollution are not recorded.
	Calculations are carried out by the National Environment and Technology Centre (Netcen), who act as air quality consultants to Defra and the devolved administrations. Netcen carry out a range of assessments and provide statistics on deaths brought forward due to air pollution in the UK using Committee of Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) methodology.
	This information is not readily available and figures would only extend back to 1996 for a range of technical reasons. I will write to the hon. Lady when figures are available and place a copy of the figures in the Library.

Asbestos-related Illnesses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland died from asbestos-related illnesses in each of the last 20 years.

David Hanson: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in each year between 1986 and 2005 where the underlying cause of death was recorded as mesothelioma(1) or 'asbestosis'(2).
	(1 )International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code C45 for years 2001-2004 and Ninth Revision codes 158.9 or 163.9 for year 1985-2000.
	(2 )International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes J61 and J92.0 for years 2001-2004 and Ninth Revision code 501 for year 1985-2000.
	
		
			  Number of registered deaths by year in Northern Ireland resulting from asbestos related illnesses (mesothelioma and 'asbestosis') 
			  Registration year  Mesothelioma  'Asbestosis'  Total 
			 1986 22 — 22 
			 1987 44 9 53 
			 1988 26 9 35 
			 1989 40 11 51 
			 1990 38 3 41 
			 1991 40 5 45 
			 1992 47 4 51 
			 1993 43 4 47 
			 1994 29 4 33 
			 1995 34 5 39 
			 1996 32 4 36 
			 1997 42 — 42 
			 1998 40 6 46 
			 1999 46 4 50 
			 2000 37 6 43 
			 2001 54 9 63 
			 2002 42 12 54 
			 2003 46 9 55 
			 2004 51 14 65 
			 2005(1) 34 10 44 
			 (1 )Provisional data

Asbestos-related Illnesses

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths were registered in Northern Ireland where the underlying cause was recorded as mesothelioma in each year between 2000 and 2005.

David Hanson: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in each year between 2000 and 2005 where the underlying cause of death was recorded as mesothelioma(1).
	(1 )International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code C45 for years 2001-2005 and Ninth Revision codes 158.9 or 163.9 for year 2000.
	
		
			  Registration year  Number of deaths resulting from mesothelioma 
			 2000 37 
			 2001 54 
			 2002 42 
			 2003 46 
			 2004 51 
			 2005(1) 34 
			 (1) Provisional Data

Badger Baiting

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timetable is for the introduction of changes to legislation to provide police officers with the power of arrest in respect of individuals involved in unlawful activity associated with badger baiting in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: It is an offence under the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 1972 to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal by causing, procuring or assisting at the fighting or baiting of that animal. A review of the legislation is currently out to public consultation, with a closing date of 5( )December 2006. The review examines the need for increased enforcement powers under the Act.
	It is also an offence under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 to take, kill, injure or be in possession or control of a badger or to disturb a badger while it is occupying a place or structure for shelter or protection, or to damage, destroy or obstruct access to that place or structure. None of the offences are subject to arrest and there are currently no proposals to change the legislation in this respect. However, subject to the outcome of a public consultation exercise on the review of the 1985 Order planned for December 2006, further changes may be proposed.

Bankruptcy

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many bankruptcy orders were made on behalf of the Department of Finance and Personnel of the Rate Collection Agency in  (a) 2003,  (b) 2004 and  (c) 2005; and how many have been made in 2006.

David Hanson: The following table shows the number of bankruptcy orders made on behalf of the Rate Collection Agency for each of the years in question.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003-04 126 
			 2004-05 116 
			 2005-06 98 
			 2006 to date 51

Biodiversity

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding the Government have provided for biodiversity education  (a) overall in the Province and  (b) at Oxford Island Nature Reserve in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The majority of government funding on biodiversity education is contributed through the Department of the Environment's Environment and Heritage Service (EHS). EHS provides funding in the form of grant aid to district councils, schools, community groups and environmental non-government organisations. EHS also provides direct environmental education to schools and the wider public.
	The spend by EHS is summarised as follows.
	
		
			  £000 
			   Direct spend  Grant aid  Total 
			 2005-06 383 700 1,466 
			 2004-05 310 220 840 
			 2003-04 457 245 1,159 
			 2002-03 175 80 430 
			 2001-02 175 46 396 
			 Five year total 1,500 1,291 4,291 
			 Average per year 300 258 858 
		
	
	Following the publication of the Northern Ireland Biodiversity Strategy in 2002 the spend has increased substantially and the total annual spend on biodiversity education in the last three years has averaged over £l million per annum.
	During the past five years EHS has supported either a conservation officer or a local biodiversity action plan officer within Craigavon borough council to a total of £91,000 over five years. The officer is based at Oxford Island and part of their role has included support for the interpretation of biodiversity within the Oxford Island National Nature Reserve.
	
		
			   Conservation officer  Local biodiversity officer  Total 
			 2005-06 — 23,257 23,257 
			 2004-05 13,779 23,232 37,011 
			 2003-04 8,671 — 8,671 
			 2002-03 11,546 — 11,546 
			 2001-02 11,025 — 11,025

Concessionary Travel

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken by Translink to advertise to senior citizens in receipt of the smart pass for free travel that there is a requirement to renew every five years.

David Cairns: Responsibility for advertising all aspects of the Northern Ireland Concessionary Fares Scheme rests with the Department for Regional Development. In January 2007, the Department will launch an advertising campaign in newspaper and other media outlets, highlighting the need for customers to renew their SmartPass before the expiry date printed on the front of their cards. In addition, all customers will be contacted by post three months before the expiry of their SmartPass, detailing the steps they need to take to obtain a replacement.

Departmental IT

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  which of his Department's databases are  (a) wholly and  (b) partly operated by external organisations or individuals; and which organisations and individuals own those databases;
	(2)  which databases operated by his Department are located  (a) wholly and  (b) partly outside the UK; and where each of those databases and parts of databases is located.

Peter Hain: The requested details of the databases are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Operated by   Location 
			  Database  Wholly  Partly  Owned by  In UK  Outside UK 
			 Leadership Development Programme Direction Plus  Direction Plus  Switzerland 
			   
			 HRMS  BT NICS Departments BT—Castle Buildings  
			   Northgate  Northgate—Dargan Cres Belfast  
			   Fujitsu  Fujitsu—Trident House Airport Road Belfast  
			   
			 Payroll (NICS)  Fujitsu Fujitsu Fujitsu—Trident House Airport Road Belfast  
			   PSMB  PSMB Trident House Airport Road Belfast  
			   Belfast City Council  Belfast City Council—Belfast  
			   
			 Payroll (HCS) Logica CMG  Logica CMG CMG UK Limited, 20 Kingston Rd Staines Middlesex

Domestic Rates

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received about the revaluation of domestic rates in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: Representations to the Government on the domestic rating reforms in the past 12 months have included responses to a consultation on the draft Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, as well as to other more targeted consultations on individual aspects of the reforms. In addition, the Government have met with political parties, other Government agencies, local government organisations, representatives of the community and voluntary sector, and other stakeholders to discuss the reforms.

Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the co-efficient values given to each of the property attributes for window glazing are in the Valuation and Lands Agency's calibrated Multiple Regression formula used in the domestic rates revaluation in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: In Northern Ireland window glazing was not value significant in any of the models used by the Valuation and Lands Agency and hence no co-efficient value was given to it.

Domestic Rates

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many and what proportion of domestic properties in Northern Ireland are classified by the Valuation and Lands Agency with property attribute codes of  (a) SG-Wood,  (b) SG-PVC,  (c) SG-Metal,  (d) DG-Wood,  (e) DG-PVC and  (f) DG-Metal.

David Hanson: The information requested is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Window type  Number of properties  Percentage of total 
			  (a) SG-Wood 442 0.0615 
			  (b) SG-PVC 166 0.0231 
			  (c) SG-Metal 42 0.0058 
			  (d) DG-Wood 612 0.0852 
			  (e) DG-PVC 10,614 1.4768 
			  (f) DG-Metal 4 0.0006 
			 Not recorded 706,839 98.3471

Early Release Scheme

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the membership is of the Prison Sentence Review Commission monitoring the early release scheme created by the Belfast Agreement.

David Hanson: There are 10 Sentence Review Commissioners; two joint chairmen and eight other members. Their details are given in the Commissioners Annual Report for 2006, a copy of which is available in the Library, and are also available on their website www.sentencereview.org.uk.

Entertainment and Hospitality

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on entertainment and hospitality by each Government Department in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The information requested is not held centrally and therefore it has not been possible to provide a full response in this parliamentary session. However, the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) asked a similar question relating to the cost of hospitality in each Northern Ireland Department in each of the last five years. I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave on 13 September 2006,  Official Report, column 2397W.

Entertainment and Hospitality

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on food and alcohol for its staff working out of office in each year since 2001-02.

Peter Hain: We cannot provide the information in the format requested by the hon. Member as to do so would be at disproportionate cost. The information requested is captured under "hospitality", which includes food, alcohol and other related costs.
	Expenditure incurred on hospitality by the Northern Ireland Office includes accommodation and hospitality for members of the royal family, visiting dignitaries and heads of state, and also hospitality for the representatives of business, voluntary and community sectors in Northern Ireland attending the annual garden party at Hillsborough Castle, as well as limited hospitality for staff working out of office hours in accordance with established procedures.
	The amount spent on hospitality by the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, in each year since 2001-02 was:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2001-02 235,989 
			 2002-03 363,755 
			 2003-04 319,741 
			 2004-05 258,436 
			 2005-06 299,634 
		
	
	All expenditure of official hospitality is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government accounting. The level of hospitality must be defined, and a broad outline of cost and numbers attending must be provided on all occasions before authorisation. Expenditure should be kept as low as possible, compatible with the occasion and the standing of guests.
	A necessary pre-condition for any entertainment or hospitality to be financed from Northern Ireland Office funds is that it will be in the direct interests of the Northern Ireland Office. While one cannot always guarantee that the benefit will be achieved, that must be both the intention and the reasonable expectation.

Equality Commission

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how much has been spent by the Equality Commission in each year since its formation in providing legal assistance and support to plaintiffs in respect of  (a) sex discrimination and  (b) religious discrimination; and what the average amount spent was on each category in each year;
	(2)  in how many cases financial assistance and support were given by the Equality Commission to plaintiffs pursuing  (a) sex discrimination cases and  (b) religious discrimination cases where the case was subsequently abandoned by the Equality Commission in each year since its formation; and how much was spent on each category of case in each year;
	(3)  in which cases relating to  (a) sex discrimination and  (b) religious discrimination the Equality Commission spent more than £50,000 in each year since its formation.

David Hanson: The Equality Commission, as reported in its annual reports, spent the following amounts on legal fees in respect of its duty to provide assistance to complainants and potential complainants. The amounts exclude staff costs.
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
			   Sex discrimination  Religious and political opinion discrimination 
			 1999-00 293,046 253,300 
			 2000-01 348,867 166,780 
			 2001-02 631,861 170,261 
			 2002-03 829,558 916,357 
			 2003-04 524,967 239,464 
			 2004-05 72,611 74,390 
		
	
	An average spend is not always available as many cases continue over a number of financial years.
	The Equality Commission operates an enforcement policy for the provision of advice and assistance to complainants. Such assistance is subject to review. On review the Equality Commission may withdraw assistance because information gathered suggests that the case is unlikely to be successful, because the complainant no longer wishes to pursue proceedings or the case does not fall within the strategic objectives of the Commission's policy on assistance.
	The Equality Commission database shows the following numbers of cases were discontinued in each year of operation. Figures are not available for 1999-2000.
	
		
			   Cases 
			   Sex discrimination  Religious and political opinion discrimination 
			 2000-01 1 — 
			 2001-02 8 3 
			 2002-03 139 202 
			 2003-04 58 93 
			 2004-05 27 17 
			 2005-06 2 10 
		
	
	It should be noted that an individual may complain under more than one ground of discrimination. Where there are a number of grounds including sex discrimination, these are included with the figure for sex discrimination. Where there are a number of grounds including religious and political opinion discrimination, these are included with the figure for religious and political opinion discrimination. Where both sex and religion and political opinion discrimination are mentioned these cases are included in both; those covering both encompass :
	15 cases in 2002-03
	4 cases in 2003-04
	3 cases in 2004-05
	Gathering the information in relation to the costs associated with the discontinued cases will require further analysis and the Chief Executive of the Equality Commission will respond directly to the hon. Member and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Equality Commission spent more than £50,000 in two cases relating to sex discrimination and one case relating to Religion/Politics. Each of these cases continued for more than one financial year.
	 Religion/Politics
	One case which was heard in the Court of Appeal NI—total spend: £71,769.28.
	 Sex Discrimination
	One case which was heard in the Court of Appeal NI—total spend: £117,251.04
	One case which was heard in the House of Lords—total spend: £168,267.05

Flood Defences

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Government have spent on improving flood defences in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, as the drainage and flood defence authority in Northern Ireland, spent the following amounts on improving flood defences, including sea defences:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2001-02 4,730,000.00 
			 2002-03 7,622,000.00 
			 2003-04 2,101,000.00 
			 2004-05 740,000.00 
			 2005-06 3,288,000.00

Fly-tipping

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many incidents of fly-tipping were recorded in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; how much public money was spent as a result of fly-tipping during that period; and what steps the Government are taking to prevent fly-tipping.

David Cairns: Since the end of 2003, the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) has been responsible for dealing with the illegal disposal of waste on a commercial basis. Prior to that date, district councils were responsible but few, if any, of them kept records in the form requested.
	During 2004 and 2005 EHS received between 1,000 and 1,200 reports of illegal dumping of waste each year. This year to date, 1,206 reports have been received. A minimum of 250,000 tonnes of household waste from the Republic of Ireland has been illegal disposed of in Northern Ireland to date. The costs associated with the removal of this waste are likely to be in the region of £30 million.
	EHS will continue to rigorously investigate and prosecute all incidents of fly-tipping that are reported to it. EHS is also in the process of introducing a computer system known as 'Fly Capture' that will record and track all reported incidents. The system has proved very useful in GB with the publicity surrounding levels of fly-tipping and the costs of dealing with it arising from this source. If district councils take up the offer of the use of this system, appropriate data should be available for Northern Ireland within a year.

Gender Recognition

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how the Social Security Agency's gender recognition policy was formulated; what assessment he has made of its effectiveness; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland is responsible for administering the social security system in accordance with the law—including the Gender Recognition Act 2004. The cases of persons who have been issued with gender recognition certificates are dealt with by the Agency in accordance with national guidelines.

High Hedges

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce legislation to deal with problems associated with high hedges in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

David Cairns: The Department intends to bring forward this legislation when the legislative programme permits.

Household Incomes

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of households in Northern Ireland have weekly incomes of £300 or less, broken down by  (a) parliamentary constituency,  (b) district council and  (c) district electoral area.

David Hanson: The proportion of households with a weekly income of £300 or less, according to the Northern Ireland Family Resources Survey, by parliamentary constituency is given in Table 2, and by district council is given in Table 1. In order to ensure a sample size that would deliver reliable results, it was necessary to combine three years of the survey. Even with this level of combination, the sample sizes achieved for district electoral areas are too small for reliable results to be given.
	The information requested in Part (c) district electoral area is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	Because of the need to combine years, the significance of the £300 income limit for households is not constant due to price inflation and increases in general income over time.
	
		
			  Table 1: Local Government Districts, Proportion of Households with Gross Weekly Income of £300 or Under by LGD( 1) 
			  Local Government District  Percentage 
			 Antrim 31.3 
			 Ards 34.8 
			 Armagh 34.5 
			 Ballymena 35.6 
			 Ballymoney and Moyle(2) 32.8 
			 Banbridge 24.7 
			 Belfast 45.6 
			 Carrickfergus 26.6 
			 Castlereagh 29.4 
			 Coleraine 38.0 
			 Cookstown 47.7 
			 Craigavon 34.9 
			 Downpatrick 32.3 
			 Dungannon 40.2 
			 Fermanagh 45.5 
			 Larne 35.3 
			 Limavady and Magherafelt(2) 36.6 
			 Lisburn 32.8 
			 Derry 39.3 
			 Newry 38.3 
			 Newtownabbey 32.0 
			 North Down 26.7 
			 Omagh and Strabane(2) 46.1 
			 (1 )In order to ensure a sample size that would deliver reliable results, it was necessary to combine three years of the survey, namely 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05.  (2) These councils had to be combined in order to obtain a sample of at least 100 households.   Source:  Family Resources Survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Parliamentary Constituencies, Proportion of Households with Gross Weekly Income of £300 or Under by Parliamentary Constituency( 1) 
			  Parliamentary Constituency  Percentage 
			 Belfast East 38.1 
			 Belfast North 54.3 
			 Belfast South 36.3 
			 Belfast West 44.4 
			 East Antrim 31.7 
			 East Londonderry 34.9 
			 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 42.8 
			 Foyle 39.6 
			 Lagan Valley 30.4 
			 Mid Ulster 45.3 
			 Newry and Armagh 37.9 
			 North Antrim 34.5 
			 North Down 26.5 
			 South Antrim 28.0 
			 South Down 31.9 
			 Strangford 34.6 
			 Upper Bann 32.7 
			 West Tyrone 46.1 
			 (1 )In order to ensure a sample size that would deliver reliable results, it was necessary to combine three years of the survey, namely 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05.   Notes: 1. The tables are derived from the Northern Ireland Family Resources Survey, which has been carried out in Northern Ireland since 2002-03. A comparable survey has been carried out in Great Britain since 1992-93, and this GB survey has now been expanded into a UK survey, including the Northern Ireland data.  2. The Northern Ireland sample size has been enhanced to allow more detailed analysis.  3. A variety of definitions of household income are available from the survey. Gross income is used here.  4. Three years of the survey are combined to ensure an acceptable sample size.  5. Because three years of the survey have been combined, the significance of the £300 limit for households is not constant, due to price inflation and increases in general income over time.   Source:  Family Resources Survey.

Household Waste

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the volume of household rubbish generated per person in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and what percentage of that was  (a) recycled and  (b) re-used in each year.

David Cairns: Each person in Northern Ireland generates approximately 0.5 tonnes of household waste per year (annual figures are provided in the following table).
	The overall household recycling rate in Northern Ireland has grown from 6.6 per cent. in 1999-2000 to 18.9 per cent. in 2004-05, an encouraging increase of over 12 per cent., and indicative figures for 2005-06 show a recycling rate of over 24 per cent.
	There are no figures on re-use of household waste as this waste does not enter the waste stream and is therefore is not reported.
	Household waste arisings per household is a more useful indicator than per person as the household is the key unit for generation of waste and produces a certain amount of waste regardless of the number of occupants.
	
		
			  Household waste statistics 1999-2006 
			   Total household waste (million tonnes)  Average household waste collected (tonnes/year)  Household waste recycling rate (percentage) 
			Per person  Per household  
			 1999-2000 0.83 0.49 1.38 6.6 
			 2001 0.88 0.52 1.42 8.9 
			 2002 0.90 0.53 1.40 10.0 
			 2003 0.90 0.53 1.37 12.5 
			 2004-05 0.92 0.54 1.36 18.9 
			 2005-06(1) 0.94 0.54 1.36 >24 
			 (1) Indicative.

Hyper- and Hypothermia

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of  (a) heat-related and  (b) cold-related deaths in the Province in each of the last 20 years.

David Hanson: The following table gives the number of deaths registered in Northern Ireland in each year between 1986 and 2005, where effects of heat and light(1) or hypothermia(2) were mentioned on the death certificate.
	(1 )"Heat" will not be recorded as an underlying cause of death. However heat-related illnesses (e.g., heatstroke, heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat syncope) may be mentioned on the death certificate. Deaths with a mention of the effects of heat and light are defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 992 for the years 1986-2000 and, for the years 2001 to 2005, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T67.
	(2) "Cold" will not be recorded as an underlying cause of death. However subnormal body temperature, hypothermia, may be mentioned on the death certificate. Deaths with a mention of hypothermia are defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 991.6 for the years 1986-2000 and, for the years 2001 to 2005, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T68.
	
		
			  Registered number of deaths, with a mention of effect of heat and light or hypothermia. Northern Ireland, 1986 to 2005 
			  Registration year  Effect of heat and light  Hypothermia 
			 1986 — 32 
			 1987 — 16 
			 1988 — 17 
			 1989 — 13 
			 1990 — 14 
			 1991 — 22 
			 1992 — 14 
			 1993 — 14 
			 1994 — 21 
			 1995 — 13 
			 1996 — 16 
			 1997 — 22 
			 1998 — 22 
			 1999 — 12 
			 2000 — 12 
			 2001 — 16 
			 2002 — 14 
			 2003 — 8 
			 2004 1 11 
			 2005(1) — 18 
			 (1) Provisional data

Light Bulbs

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proportion of light bulbs purchased by his Department in 2005 were of the compact fluorescent type.

Peter Hain: The Department has a variety of light fittings which accept a wide range of bulbs. No records are kept of the numbers or frequency of lamp replacement and the cost of obtaining these figures would be disproportionate. Compact fluorescents are, where practicable, the preferred type of light bulb.

MOT

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average waiting time for an MOT test at each test centre in the Province was in the last period for which figures are available; what the longest time is for which a driver has been waiting for an MOT test at each centre; how many individuals are waiting for MOT tests at each centre; and how many MOT tests were conducted at each centre in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The average waiting time and the longest waiting time for a vehicle test at each test centre for the week ending 28 October 2006 is as follows.
	
		
			  Days 
			  Centre  Average waiting time  Longest waiting time 
			 Armagh 27 54 
			 Ballymena 16 33 
			 Balmoral 24 56 
			 Coleraine 13 51 
			 Cookstown 27 52 
			 Craigavon 23 49 
			 Downpatrick 17 47 
			 Enniskillen 31 53 
			 Larne 13 38 
			 Lisburn 24 53 
			 Mallusk 17 45 
			 New Buildings 19 37 
			 Newry 36 59 
			 Newtownards 14 54 
			 Omagh 29 52 
			 Northern Ireland 21 59 
		
	
	The number of vehicles awaiting test as at 28 October was 59,117. This information is not maintained at centre level.
	The number of vehicle tests conducted at each centre in each of the last five years is set out as follows.
	
		
			  Centre  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Armagh 19,691 17,007 22,560 16,158 21,524 
			 Ballymena 42,742 28,340 43,583 46,479 42,788 
			 Balmoral 59,954 44,794 58,919 47,194 63,188 
			 Coleraine 28,384 34,049 39,260 41,261 45,121 
			 Cookstown 30,470 35,003 37,047 36,827 41,238 
			 Craigavon 31,833 31,016 36,410 25,182 30,291 
			 Downpatrick 21,538 20,614 29,625 33,412 27,387 
			 Enniskillen 22,993 16,548 25,910 25,648 28,988 
			 Larne 11,852 20,570 25,560 23,002 26,031 
			 Lisburn 22,033 34,578 35,550 26,790 34,724 
			 Mallusk 50,943 61,200 36,644 41,109 49,934 
			 New Buildings 31,431 27,802 35,018 26,585 38,159 
			 Newry 33,326 41,446 30,954 28,410 44,541 
			 Newtownards 50,833 43,390 56,855 56,517 64,286 
			 Omagh 19,240 53,761 19,227 23,444 26,458 
			 Northern Ireland 457,572 498,692 533,122 498,018 584,658 
		
	
	Figures include all vehicle test categories (MOT, PSV and HGV) but exclude re-tests.

Motorcyclists (Safety)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the safety implications for motorcyclists of wire rope crash barriers in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Gentleman.
	 Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin, dated 3 November 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about what assessment he has made of the safety implications for motorcyclists of wire rope crash barriers in Northern Ireland. As this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service, I have been asked to reply.
	I can advise that all vehicle restraint systems installed on the public road network in Northern Ireland comply with European Standard EN 1317. There is relatively little wire rope safety fencing erected on the Northern Ireland road network and statistical analysis of collision data has not identified any problems in those areas.
	Whilst Roads Service has not undertaken any specific research to evaluate the safety implications for motorcyclists, I can advise that the Government (DfT) Advisory Group on Motorcycling reported in 2004 that the Transport Research Laboratory had undertaken some evaluation of safety fences. I understand the conclusion from this work was that all types of barrier pose some form of risk for motorcyclists, but wire rope is no more of a risk than other types of post and beam barriers.

New Health and Education Structures

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what opportunities there will be for elected representatives to serve on new health and education structures arising from the Review of Public Administration in Northern Ireland; and what lay representation there will be on those new structures.

David Hanson: All board members will be appointed under the guidelines laid down by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Board members must be chosen solely on the basis of the skills and expertise necessary to do the job. All appointments are to be made on merit and no one should be appointed to any position solely because they hold a particular position in another organisation.

Pedestrian Crossings

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the average cost of establishing a  (a) pelican and  (b) zebra crossing in Northern Ireland.

David Cairns: The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Lady.
	 Letter from Malcolm McKibbin, dated 6 November 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding the estimated costs of establishing (a) a zebra crossing and (b) a pelican crossing.
	I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	By way of background, I should explain that the cost of installing pedestrian crossing facilities is dependant on a number of issues including; type of equipment being installed, width of road, distance to a source of electricity and need for alterations to existing infrastructure.
	Taking these factors into account, the estimated cost of establishing zebra and pelican crossings are as follows:
	Zebra crossing—£10k/£12k;
	Pelican crossing—£23/£30k;
	Pelican crossing in Belfast area—£28/£35k.
	The cost of installing a pelican crossing in Belfast is potentially higher due to the need to integrate the crossing into the Belfast Urban Traffic Control System.

Public Administration Review

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in implementing the Review of Public Administration in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: I have been given overall ministerial responsibility for the implementation of the Review of Public Administration (RPA) decisions. The Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Nigel Hamilton, is personally leading the oversight of the change process, and has established an RPA steering group to oversee the reforms.
	Project teams have been established within departments to drive forward implementation. A central unit has been established within the office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister that will oversee the implementation process and support the steering group
	The Local Government (Boundaries) (NI) Order 2006 is in operation, establishing the number of councils at seven and setting out procedures for the Local Government Boundaries Commissioner, who was appointed on 1 June 2006 for a 12-month period. His interim report is due on 7 November.
	A DOE Local Government Taskforce has been established to examine and report on key issues and work continues to complete the legislation proposals for the Local Government (Structures) Order and the Local Government (Transfer of Functions) Order by February 2007.
	The Chief Executive (Designate) of the proposed new Health and Social Services Authority has been appointed and the Authority will be formally established from 1 April 2008. Legislation to establish the five new trusts has already been made and the trusts are now operating in shadow form. The Chairs were appointed on 1 August and the Chief Executives were appointed on 1 September 2006. The existing trusts will be abolished on 1 April 2007. Work continues to complete the drafting of legislation proposals for Health and Social Services Reform by February 2007.
	The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety is currently consulting on the following:
	(i) the Draft Transfer of Staff, Assets and Liabilities Orders for the new HSS Trusts;
	(ii) draft proposals for a statutory Joint Committee for Commissioning health and social services; and
	(iii) the Human Resources Framework for Health and Personal Social Services.
	In the Education Sector, the appointment of the Chief Executive (Designate) of the Education and Skills Authority is expected in November 2006 and work continues to complete the legislation proposals for Education Restructuring by April 2007.
	In other areas, work is under way on the rationalisation of Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPB). Through the merging of some bodies and transferring functions to central or local Government, the number of NDPBs will be reduced from more than 80 to around 50.
	The Public Service Commission was established in March 2006 to safeguard the interests of staff affected by decisions of the review.

Rate Relief

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will consider extending rate relief to sub-post offices in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Northern Ireland Executive considered the wider issue of rural rate relief, including that for rural post offices, in 2002. Northern Ireland has had the enabling power since 1998 to introduce a scheme similar to the rural rate relief scheme which operates in Great Britain. Both the Executive and direct rule Ministers decided not to introduce it because analysis showed it did not suit Northern Ireland's more dispersed settlement pattern. It would also potentially have an unfavourable impact from both an equality and New TSN perspective.
	The Government, however, are re-examining the case for small business rate relief in April 2007 and support for post offices can be considered as part of this review.

Restorative Justice Projects

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to publish the revised guidelines for community based restorative justice projects in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: The Protocol for Community-based Restorative Justice Schemes is currently the subject of a public consultation and equality impact assessment which concludes on 13 December 2006. Following consideration of the consultation responses, the Government will decide on a way forward.

River Pollution

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many river pollution incidents in Northern Ireland were caused by private businesses in each of the last five years.

David Cairns: The number of substantiated pollution incidents attributed to private businesses, including agricultural farms, for each of the past five years was:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2001 896 
			 2002 874 
			 2003 756 
			 2004 635 
			 2005 531 
		
	
	This represents 52 per cent. of the overall total number of substantiated incidents investigated by the Environment and Heritage Service during this period.

Roads

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the approximate cost and length of time would be for DRD Roads Service to construct the dualling of the A26 road between Glarryford and the A44 Drones Junction.

David Cairns: The chief executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has written to the hon. Gentleman.
	 Letter from Malcolm McKibbin, dated 6 November 2006:
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what the approximate cost and length of time would be for DRD Roads Service to construct the dualling of the A26 road between Glarryford and the A44 Drones Junction. As this issues fall within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service I have been asked to reply.
	You will be aware that the improvement to dual carriageway standard of the A26 Glarryford to A44 Drones Road project is one of the Strategic Road Improvements identified in the Regional Strategic Transport Network Transport Plan.
	The A26 scheme is in the Roads Service's Forward Planning Schedule. Schemes within this schedule are expected to be implemented within the next 5-10 years.
	Civil Engineering Consultants, Arup were commissioned in April 2006 to assist with the development of the project through to the selection of a preferred route and completion of the statutory procedures (Environmental Statement, Direction Order and Vesting Order). On successful completion of the statutory procedures and an economic appraisal, the scheme will be taken forward to procurement and construction. Subject to the availability of funding at the time, the commencement of that stage is currently anticipated to be early 2010, with completion likely to be late 2012/early 2013. Comprehensive consultation with the public, other interested bodies and public representatives will take place throughout the development of the scheme.
	The expanded Strategic Road Improvement Programme 2015 Consultation Document, published earlier this year, estimated the cost of the project to be £33M (at 2005 prices). As work progresses on the project more detail and constraints will be identified and timescales and estimates may be adjusted to suit.

Sentencing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to announce changes to the 50 per cent. remission for those convicted of serious offences in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: Following a review of the sentencing framework in Northern Ireland, I am considering a range of options, including indeterminate and extended public protection sentences for dangerous violent and sexual offenders. I plan to announce proposals for a new sentencing framework before the end of the year.

Water

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who will be responsible for granting authorisation for the disposal of land by Water NI Ltd. from 2010.

David Cairns: Under article 217(1) of the draft Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, any company appointed as a water or sewerage undertaker cannot dispose of any of its protected land, except with the consent of, or in accordance with a general authorisation given by, the Department for Regional Development. The Department is currently developing a draft licence under which the company will operate. The terms of the licence will include provisions regarding the disposal of land. The draft licence will be issued for public consultation later this year.

Water

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will take steps to ensure that the cost of the Affordability Tariff from 2010 is not passed on to water customers through higher bills.

David Cairns: The Affordability Tariff is being introduced to ensure that no household should need to spend more than 3 per cent. of household income on water and sewerage charges. The cost of the tariff will be met from Northern Ireland public expenditure and not from other customers.
	The Affordability Tariff will be reviewed in 2009 by which time it is the Government's hope and expectation that a devolved Administration will be well established. The Government therefore believe it would be wrong to pre-empt, or prejudge the outcome of the review.

Water

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what contingency plans are in place to make up the deficit if the five per cent. bad debt provision in the financial planning model for the planned Government-owned company Water NI Ltd. turns out to have been an underestimate;
	(2)  if he will ensure that any underestimate of the bad debt provision in the financial planning model for the planned Government-owned company Water NI Ltd. is not paid for by the consumer through higher bills.

David Cairns: The Department is currently developing a draft licence under which the company will operate. The terms of the licence will determine how variations from the estimated cost of bad debt will be dealt with. The draft licence will be issued for public consultation later this year.

Water

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to whom any dividend earned by the planned Government-owned company Water NI Ltd. will be paid; and if he will take steps to ensure that any shortfall against the expected dividend is not paid for by the customer through higher bills.

David Cairns: To properly reflect the fact that capital in Northern Ireland Water Ltd. has a cost, the company will be required to pay a dividend to the Department for Regional Development. In the event that any shortfall in performance by the company reduces its ability to pay the dividend (either in whole or in part), the amount not paid must be covered from DRD's resource departmental expenditure limit.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

A-levels

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1555W, on A-level mathematics, what assessment he has made of the success of Curriculum 2000 with regard to mathematics.

Jim Knight: Entries for A-level mathematics fell with the introduction of Curriculum 2000 largely due to the uneven weighting and level of difficulty in AS maths compared to other subjects. Revisions to address this issue were made to A-level mathematics from September 2004. Entries for A-level mathematics and further mathematics have increased in each of the last two years.

A-levels

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in the Wantage constituency took  (a) chemistry,  (b) physics and  (c) a modern language at A-level in each year since 1997.

Bill Rammell: Information on the numbers studying A-levels is not available centrally. The information available relates to those entered for examinations. The number of A-level entries by 16 to 18-year-olds in schools located in the Wantage constituency for each requested subject is given in the following table.
	
		
			   Chemistry  Physics  Modern languages 
			 1997 65 47 39 
			 1998 63 62 47 
			 1999 67 54 46 
			 2000 54 61 50 
			 2001 49 60 46 
			 2002 53 46 31 
			 2003 54 50 27 
			 2004 37 36 36 
			 2005 40 52 32 
			 2006(1) 41 47 39 
			 (1) Figures for 2006 are provisional and may be subject to change.  Note: There are five schools with post-16 results located in the Wantage constituency.

Attendance

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment has been made of the effect of lost school days on attainment levels in secondary schools in Copeland in the last three years.

Jim Knight: The Department has been collecting absence data at pupil level for the first time through the Pupil Level Annual School Census since January 2006 and is currently analysing the data, including the impact of school absence on attainment. Although the analysis is not yet ready, recent research commissioned by the Department has shown that there does appear to be an association between absence rates and pupil attainment. In schools in Excellence in Cities (EiC) areas higher than average levels of absence were associated with reduced attainment at GCSE and key stage 3.

Attendance

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of school days lost to pupils as a result of  (a) underage drinking,  (b) drug use and  (c) substance abuse in Copeland in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect data on absence that is due to underage drinking, drug and substance abuse.

Biometric Technology

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the uses for which biometric technologies are used in schools.

Jim Knight: The Department does not keep a list of the uses of biometric technologies in schools. However I am aware that some schools use biometric technologies for recording the attendance and registration of pupils, and for access to school services such as libraries and school meals.

Building Schools for the Future

Ken Purchase: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria he uses to decide which local education authorities will be included in early phases of the Building Schools for the Future programme.

Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future aims to provide 21st century facilities for all secondary pupils over the long term. In line with this Government's priorities, we have started with those schools with poorest educational standards and highest social need, where we think the investment can have greatest impact. We chose projects in waves 1 to 3 of Building Schools for the Future using the following published criteria. We selected wave 1 projects by:
	ranking local authority proposals according to the data on standards and deprivation across the schools in the proposed geographical area;
	assessing whether the strategic proposals were appropriate to address the educational issues of the schools in the area and whether the capital investment would reinforce action/plans/strategies in place for school improvement;
	assessing whether the local authority had the capacity to deliver such a large procurement;
	assessing the total value of all the proposals with reference to the available budget; and
	checking the overall package of proposals to ensure regional market capacity, deliverability and value for money.
	We selected wave 2 and 3 projects from local authorities' expressions of interest according to:
	relative educational and social need, as measured by pupils' GCSE attainment and eligibility for free school meals; and
	the phasing and financial requirements of school buildings across the whole programme.
	Wolverhampton's secondary schools are due to be included in a project in waves 4 to 6. We will announce which wave by the end of the year.

Building Schools for the Future

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many  (a) local education authorities and  (b) schools have participated in Building Schools for the Future since its introduction; and in how many projects (i) a contract has been signed and (ii) construction has begun.

Jim Knight: 39 local authorities and 353 schools have participated in Building Schools for the Future since its introduction. The first contract was signed in June in Bristol and construction has already started in that authority.

Community Cohesion

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how schools will be assessed on the promotion of community cohesion; and what steps will be taken in respect of schools which do not reach the required standards.

Jim Knight: Subject to the passage of the Education and Inspections Bill which is currently before Parliament, a duty will be placed on the governing bodies of maintained schools to promote community cohesion. This will be accompanied by a duty on the Chief Inspector of Schools to report, as part of routine school inspections, on the contribution made by schools in this respect. Inspectors will judge this by assessing the extent to which learners contribute to community cohesion and the effectiveness of the links made by the school with other providers, services, employers and other organisations to promote well-being and community cohesion. Where inspectors identify underperformance, they will make recommendations, to which the school will be expected to respond. School Improvement Partners will challenge and support the school in making any necessary improvements and parents will be informed about progress through the School Profile. Where the underperformance extends to other aspects of the school's work, there may be circumstances in which inspectors return to monitor the school's progress in securing improvement.

Creationism

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations his Department has received on the teaching of creationism in schools.

Jim Knight: The Department regularly receives correspondence about the teaching of creationism in schools. Most express concern about the possibility that creationism could be taught in the science curriculum.
	The Government's view is that creationism is not a recognised scientific theory and should not be taught in the science curriculum. There are, however, opportunities to discuss it in religious education, where pupils learn about different beliefs and faiths.

Enterprise Education

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made towards the Government's target that every school pupil has enterprise education by 2006; and what estimate he has made of the total proportion of school pupils receiving enterprise education.

Jim Knight: There is no such target. In September 2005 we began a three-year strategy to enable all secondary schools to develop a new focus on enterprise education. A QCA survey in March 2006 found that over 90 per cent. of schools have enterprise in their school development plans, or will have next year, and nearly 90 per cent. have, or will have next year, a written school policy on enterprise. So we have made good progress, and we have established the national Schools' Enterprise Education Network to help all schools to make further progress.

Extremism

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which higher education institutions he and Ministers from his Department have visited since 7 July 2005 to discuss issues surrounding extremism.

Bill Rammell: The Secretary of State for Education and Skills and his ministerial team have undertaken a large number of visits to higher education institutions in the period since 7 July 2005. There have been a number of discussions with university staff around issues of extremism on campus, often as part of a broader agenda. For that reason, we cannot separately identify the higher education institutions involved.

Faith Schools

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department has issued to schools on permissible tests of religious observance in their admissions processes.

Jim Knight: Guidance on school admissions for all maintained schools, including schools with a religious character, is contained in the School Admissions Code of Practice published in 2003.
	The new School Admissions Code, subject to parliamentary approval, will come into force in February 2007 and supersede the existing Code of Practice. The draft code, on which we are currently consulting, contains detailed guidelines to faith schools on determining fair and equitable admission arrangements including faith-based oversubscription criteria and determining religious observance.

FE Budget

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the  (a) total budget and  (b) budget per pupil was at 2006 prices for further education in each of the last 20 years.

Bill Rammell: The Government have increased total investment in further education for participation and other FE expenditure by 48 per cent. in real terms between 1997 and 2005.
	The participation expenditure for further education and the participation unit of funding per full-time equivalent student in each year from 1997-98 to 2007-08 are provided in the following tables. The figures for 2005-06 reflect plans as outturn is not yet known on unit funding.
	
		
			  Table 1: Further education participation expenditure (cash) 
			   Total FE participation( 1)  (£ million) 
			  Actual  
			 1997-98 3,131.4 
			 1998-99 3,101.6 
			 1999-2000 3,216.4 
			 2000-01 3,311.0 
			 2001-02 3,643.8 
			 2002-03 3,823.2 
			 2003-04 4,274.3 
			 2004-05 4,323.9 
			   
			  Planned  
			 2005-06 4,871.8 
			 2006-07 4,949.2 
			 2007-08 5,101.9 
			 (1) FE participation funding excludes funding for colleges for other types of participation, raising standards, capacity building and capital. These are included in total FE funding, eg when calculating the 48 per cent. increase in overall FE funding.   Note: Participation figures shown include some targeted funds (Teachers' Pension Scheme, Teachers' Pay Initiative and some Standards Fund resources) which were consolidated in 2003-04; and LSC funding for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. They do not include UfI/Learndirect or Personal Community Development/Adult Community Learning. 
		
	
	Prior to 2001-02, the figures quoted represent expenditure by the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC), and we cannot disaggregate at a lower level than this, therefore these figures may include some administration and non-participation costs.
	
		
			  Table 2: FE participation unit of funding per full-time equivalent student 
			   Funding for participation (cash) (£)  Real terms index 
			  Actual   
			 1997-98 (1)3,070 100 
			 1998-99 3,090 98 
			 1999-2000 (2)3,290 102 
			 2000-01 3,470 107 
			 2001-02 (3)3,810 114 
			 2002-03 3,940 115 
			 2003-04(4) 4,360 124 
			 2003-04(4) 4,310 100 
			
			  Provisional   
			 2004-05 4,320 98 
			
			  Planned   
			 2005-06 4,890 109 
			 2006-07 4,970 108 
			 2007-08 5,160 109 
			 (1) 1997-98 only, includes assumed additional employer contributions.  (2) From 1999/2000 onwards, excludes 18,500 FTE Higher National Certificate/Diploma students and associated funding which was transferred to HEFCE.  (3) From 2001-02 onwards, includes funding for Teacher Pay Initiative, Teachers' Pension Scheme, and some Standards Funds resources.  (4) A technical change to the measurement of FTEs in 2003-04 means that there is a break in the series. This does not affect total funding, but does result in a larger estimate of FTEs, and so a small reduction in the unit funding estimate. Both figures are available for 2003-04 as shown to indicate the difference. It also means that the real terms index must be re-based in 2003-04 and a separate series shown from this point onwards. 
		
	
	Unit funding per full time equivalent (FTE) in further education between 1997-98 and 2005-06 in real terms is provided in the table above, with the real terms index, based with 1997-98 as 100. This information is based on the departmental annual report 2006 (DAR 2006) and all other footnotes from the version of this table in DAR 2006 also apply.
	The change in figures for 2003-04 does not represent a reduction in unit costs. Instead it represents a change in the method of measuring FTE, meaning that learners are counted from October rather than November.

Healthcare Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what information his Department collects on  (a) capital spending in teaching facilities for nursing and other healthcare courses and  (b) spending on training lecturers in nursing and healthcare by universities in England since 1997.

Bill Rammell: On  (a) the Department has access to data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on depreciation, including depreciation on capitalised equipment (but not buildings), by subject area. For nursing and paramedical studies in publicly-funded higher education institutions in England the figures are set out in table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Academic year  Depreciation (£000) 
			 1997-98 1,809 
			 1998-99 2,184 
			 1999-2000 2,519 
			 2000-01 2,560 
			 2001-02 2,946 
			 2002-03 3,069 
			 2003-04 3,174 
			 2004-05 4,819 
			  Source: HESA Finance Statistics Return, Table 6, Cost centre 5 
		
	
	HESA figures for overall capital expenditure on non-residential and non-catering operations in publicly-funded higher education institutions in England do not distinguish subject areas but they do show expenditure on buildings and equipment. The figures are set out in table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  £000 
			  Academic year  Buildings  Equipment 
			 1997-98 515,467 209,096 
			 1998-99 658,096 230,516 
			 1999-2000 625,329 236,013 
			 2000-01 794,821 283,845 
			 2001-02 911,406 311,848 
			 2002-03 1,336,481 364,670 
			 2003-04 1,284,902 335,640 
			 2004-05 1,388,071 393,612 
			  Source: HESA Finance Statistics Return, Table 7, Head 2 
		
	
	On  (b) the Department has access to data on staff costs by subject area but the figures do not distinguish staff training costs. The costs for nursing and paramedical studies in publicly-funded higher education institutions in England are set out in table 3.
	
		
			  Table 3 
			  £000 
			  Academic year  Academic staff costs  Other staff costs 
			 1997-98 148,568 42,110 
			 1998-99 166,019 50,156 
			 1999-2000 177,679 51,393 
			 2000-01 190,583 58,177 
			 2001-02 200,690 59,573 
			 2002-03 222,153 63,941 
			 2003-04 245,733 73,325 
			 2004-05 265,668 80,843 
			  Source: HESA Finance Statistics Return, Table 6, Cost centre 5

Higher Education Institutions

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which public bodies for which he is responsible are involved in the  (a) regulation,  (b) funding and  (c) administration of higher education institutions; and what the (i) annual budget and (ii) total staff numbers are of each.

Bill Rammell: There are five different bodies involved. The budgets allocated to each body cover all of their activities, including both programme funds, which consumes the overwhelming proportion and their administrative running costs.
	The principal funding body for higher education institutions is the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). HEFCE funding for HE institutions includes resources for the management and administration by the institutions themselves. The budget HEFCE was allocated for 2006-07 was £6,564 million and the current staffing complement is 245 full-time equivalent.
	The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) provides funding to higher education institutions for a number of activities to support the agency's objectives, in particular for initial teacher training. The budget allocated for the agency for 2006-07 was £717.1 million and the current staffing complement is 322 full-time equivalent.
	Only a very small proportion of the budget or staff of the remaining three bodies, Ofsted, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI), either funds HE institutions or funds activity to regulate them.
	The total budget allocated for Ofsted for 2006-07 was £204 million and it has 2,100 staff. The budget allocated to the LSC for 2006-07 was £10,458 million for 4,085 staff. The LSC is currently undertaking a radical restructuring exercise designed to streamline the existing organisation at both national and local level, which is expected to lead to significant savings in running costs.
	ALI's inspection remit, including that which affects the regulation and administration of HE institutions, will be taken over by new Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills from April 2007, but the total budget they were allocated for 2006-07 was £24 million, with 221 staff.
	We closely monitor all of these bodies to ensure their running costs are kept to the minimum consistent with cost effective operation—and require them to minimise the regulatory burden they impose on HE institutions.
	In addition, the Higher Education Regulation Review Group (HERRG) has recently been reappointed for a further two year period; HERRG is the independent gatekeeper group for higher education. It comprises senior managers and administrators from HE institutions, with an independent chair, and works with Government Departments and their agencies to review all the bureaucratic demands they make on HE institutions, to help ensure these are the minimum consistent with effective accountability.

International GCSE

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to publish the consultation document on the availability of the International GCSE in the maintained sector.

Jim Knight: The QCA working paper on the comparability study between the GCSE and the International GCSE will be published on the QCA and DfES websites in November. At the same time, a consultation questionnaire will be published on the DfES website on the issues for the iGCSE in the maintained sector.

IT Leasing

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils have leased computers for home use since 16 March 2005; and what the average price of such a lease was in  (a) 2005 and  (b) 2006.

Jim Knight: The Department for Education and Skills does not hold information or collect data on leasing schemes for computers for home use.

Learner-related Accidents

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the under-reporting of learner-related accidents to the Learning and Skills Council in England; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council has in place reporting and monitoring arrangements for learner-related accidents. However, we are aware that under-reporting is generally a problem. The LSC is already taking steps to reduce the level of under-reporting of such accidents.

Literacy

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which 10 local education authorities have the poorest levels of literacy for those aged  (a) five,  (b) 11 and  (c) 16 years.

Jim Knight: The information requested is set out as follows:
	 (a) 5-year-olds
	The available information for the "Communication, Language and Literacy" area of learning is shown in the following table. Local authority figures for 2005 were published as an annex (Table B) to the final Statistical First Release "Foundation Stage Profile: 2005 National Results" (SFR 03/2006) in February 2006.
	
		
			  The lowest 10 attaining local authorities by percentage of children working securely( 1,2)  within the Early Learning Goals in the communication, language and literacy area of learning—2005 
			   Percentage 
			  Language for communication and thinking  
			 Barking and Dagenham 46 
			 Slough 59 
			 Middlesbrough 63 
			 Leicester 63 
			 Hartlepool 65 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 67 
			 Greenwich 67 
			 Rotherham 68 
			 Tower Hamlets 68 
			 Torbay 69 
			   
			  Linking sounds and letters  
			 Barking and Dagenham 28 
			 Middlesbrough 43 
			 Leicester 43 
			 Greenwich 43 
			 Nottingham 43 
			 Waltham Forest 44 
			 Lewisham 46 
			 Luton 46 
			 Newham 50 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 51 
			   
			  Reading  
			 Barking and Dagenham 44 
			 Middlesbrough 48 
			 Leicester 48 
			 Greenwich 52 
			 Hartlepool 56 
			 Waltham Forest 57 
			 Newham 57 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 57 
			 Lewisham 58 
			 Slough 58 
			   
			  Writing  
			 Barking and Dagenham 28 
			 Middlesbrough 39 
			 Leicester 41 
			 North Somerset 41 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 43 
			 Greenwich 44 
			 Southampton 45 
			 Luton 45 
			 Reading 47 
			 Medway 47 
			 (1 )Care should be taken when comparing the relative attainment levels between local authorities because of the unequal impact of moderation and assessment on the figures.  (2 )A scale score of six or more indicates that a child is working securely within the Early Learning Goals. 
		
	
	The provisional national figures for 2006 recently published on 26 October 2006 in Statistical First Release "Foundation Stage Profile 2006: National Results 2006 (Provisional)" (SFR42/2006) suggest that improvements in assessments and moderation may still be impacting widely on the results across the country. Final local authority data are expected to be published in January.
	 (b) 11-year-olds
	National Curriculum assessments at key stage 2 were published on 24 August 2006 (SFR31/2006). The following table shows the percentage of pupils achieving the target level 4 in English in the 10 lowest ranking local authorities.
	
		
			  Provisional key stage 2 National Curriculum test results—2006 
			  LA name  Percentage of pupils achieving Level 4+ English 
			 City of London 64 
			 Hackney 70 
			 Nottingham City 70 
			 Leicester City 71 
			 Manchester 72 
			 Barnsley 72 
			 Sheffield 72 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 72 
			 City of Bristol 73 
			 City of Kingston upon Hull 73 
			 England all schools 79 
		
	
	 (c ) 16-year-olds
	The following table shows provisional figures for the percentage of 16 year old pupils achieving a grade A*- C in GCSE English in 2006.
	
		
			  Provisional GCSE results—2006 
			  LA name  Percentage of 16 year olds achieving grades A* to C in GCSE English 
			 Knowsley 36.6 
			 City of Kingston upon Hull 38.9 
			 Nottingham City 39.9 
			 Middlesbrough 40.9 
			 Manchester 42.2 
			 Sandwell 43.4 
			 City of Bristol 43.6 
			 Portsmouth 43.7 
			 Tower Hamlets 44.6 
			 Walsall 45.1 
			 England all schools key stage 4 59

Literacy

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of educational institutions have had written materials available in a format accessible to those with reading disabilities in each year since 1997.

Parmjit Dhanda: holding answer 2 November 2006
	The Government do not collect this information centrally. Under part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act, schools, colleges and universities have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled pupils and students are not put at a substantial disadvantage in comparison to those who are not disabled. With the exception of schools this could include the provision of written materials in alternative formats. For schools the reasonable adjustments duty does not include the provision of auxiliary aids or services as they have a duty to plan strategically to increase access, over time, to schools. This duty includes planning to provide written material in alternative formats to ensure accessibility.

Physical Education Teachers

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many black and ethnic minority teachers participated in physical education teacher training courses in each of the last five years; and how many black and ethnic minority teachers teach physical education in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools.

Jim Knight: The table provides the number of teachers from black and other ethnic minorities who have participated in teacher training courses with physical education as one of their subject specialisations in each academic year from 2000/01 to 2004/05, the latest year for which figures are available. The figures are for teachers who have trained to teach in secondary schools only. Primary school trainee teachers are trained in all subjects of national curriculum including physical education.
	Information on the number of black and ethnic minority teachers teaching by subject area is not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Teachers on teacher training courses in England with physical education as a subject specialisation, 2000/01 to 2004/05 
			  Academic year of qualification  Total  Of which: black and ethnic minorities  Percentage 
			 2000/01 1,160 20 2.0 
			 2001/02 1,330 40 2.7 
			 2002/03 1,320 30 2.4 
			 2003/04 1,700 50 3.2 
			 2004/05 1,870 70 3.8 
			  Notes: 1. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. The figures exclude teachers on employment-based routes to qualified teacher status.  Source: Training and Development Agency's Performance Profiles 
		
	
	Black and ethnic minorities include the following categories:
	Black or black British—Caribbean
	Black or black British—African
	Other black background
	Asian or Asian British—Indian
	Asian or Asian British—Pakistani
	Asian or Asian British—Bangladeshi
	Chinese or other ethnic background—Chinese
	Other Asian background
	Mixed—white and black Caribbean
	Mixed—white and black African
	Mixed—white and Asian
	Other mixed background
	Other ethnic background

Qualification and Curriculum Authority

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2006,  Official Report, column 649W, on the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA), what the reasons were for the increase in the QCA's annual spending since 2001.

Jim Knight: The size of the QCA's remit has increased substantially since 2001, and this is reflected in the increase on the authority's budget. Additional work over this period includes modernising the examinations system and the development of key stage 3 ICT and key and basic skills tests.

School Buildings

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in Herefordshire have received grants for new school buildings since 1 May 1997; what the value was of each project; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department allocates capital funding to local authorities and direct to schools, and relies upon them to prioritise the resources received between different capital projects. Accordingly, the Department does not maintain a record of grants in respect of individual schools. A central record is maintained of capital allocations to local authorities on a financial year basis, and those allocated to Herefordshire since 1 April 1997 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			   £ million 
			 1997-98 6.6 
			 1998-99 4.1 
			 1999-2000 5.4 
			 2000-01 8.5 
			 2001-02 5.9 
			 2002-03 8.4 
			 2003-04 27.6 
			 2004-05 8.4 
			 2005-06 8.7 
			 2006-07 7.0 
		
	
	The large allocation of £27.6 million in 2003-04 includes £19.5 million for a private finance initiative scheme.

School Sport

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools are in a school sport partnership; and how many schools responded to his Department's recent survey on school sport.

Jim Knight: Since September 2006, all maintained schools in England have been within a school sport partnership. When data were collected for the 2005/06 school sport survey (in the summer term of 2006) 17,122 schools were within a partnership. By the survey deadline a total of 16,882 useable responses had been received. This represents a 99 per cent. response rate. The survey is the largest of its kind in Europe.

School Sport

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of schoolchildren took part in inter-school sports competitions in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by local education authority area.

Jim Knight: The 2005/06 school sport survey found that, overall, 37 per cent. of pupils in schools within a school sport partnership took part in inter-school sports competitions during the last academic year—a 6 per cent. rise on 2004/05. The following table sets out the percentage of pupils in each local authority area taking part in inter-school sports competitions during the academic year 2005/06. Direct comparisons between local authority areas are not appropriate as the number of schools in school sport partnerships, and the length of time they have been within partnerships, differs. The results only report on pupils who attend schools within school sport partnerships.
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Barking and Dagenham 30 
			 Barnet 37 
			 Barnsley 36 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 40 
			 Bedfordshire 38 
			 Bexley 37 
			 Birmingham 31 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 33 
			 Blackpool 41 
			 Bolton 38 
			 Bournemouth 32 
			 Bracknell Forest 35 
			 Bradford 32 
			 Brent 31 
			 Brighton and Hove 41 
			 Bristol City of 33 
			 Bromley 36 
			 Buckinghamshire 43 
			 Bury 44 
			 Calderdale 42 
			 Cambridgeshire 43 
			 Camden 36 
			 City of London 42 
			 Cornwall 43 
			 Coventry 35 
			 Croydon 36 
			 Cumbria 44 
			 Darlington 32 
			 Derby 34 
			 Derbyshire 35 
			 Devon 43 
			 Doncaster 35 
			 Dorset 43 
			 Dudley 34 
			 Durham 45 
			 Ealing 40 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 38 
			 East Sussex 42 
			 Enfield 31 
			 Essex 37 
			 Gateshead 42 
			 Gloucestershire 42 
			 Greenwich 30 
			 Hackney 33 
			 Halton 44 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 31 
			 Hampshire 36 
			 Haringey 31 
			 Harrow 35 
			 Hartlepool 41 
			 Havering 33 
			 Herefordshire 47 
			 Hertfordshire 45 
			 Hillingdon 32 
			 Hounslow 37 
			 Isle of Wight 41 
			 Isles of Scilly 25 
			 Islington 33 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 46 
			 Kent 36 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 34 
			 Kingston upon Thames 34 
			 Kirklees 37 
			 Knowsley 40 
			 Lambeth 39 
			 Lancashire 39 
			 Leeds 38 
			 Leicester 25 
			 Leicestershire 37 
			 Lewisham 28 
			 Lincolnshire 36 
			 Liverpool 34 
			 Luton 33 
			 Manchester 33 
			 Medway Towns 30 
			 Merton 40 
			 Middlesbrough 40 
			 Milton Keynes 37 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 41 
			 Newham 33 
			 Norfolk 35 
			 North East Lincolnshire 33 
			 North Lincolnshire 50 
			 North Somerset 39 
			 North Tyneside 40 
			 North Yorkshire 41 
			 Northamptonshire 36 
			 Northumberland 44 
			 Nottingham 35 
			 Nottinghamshire 36 
			 Oldham 42 
			 Oxfordshire 38 
			 Peterborough 40 
			 Cheshire 43 
			 Plymouth 38 
			 Poole 32 
			 Portsmouth 30 
			 Reading 31 
			 Redbridge 36 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 38 
			 Richmond upon Thames 41 
			 Rochdale 39 
			 Rotherham 38 
			 Rutland 49 
			 Salford 33 
			 Sandwell 34 
			 Sefton 39 
			 Sheffield 37 
			 Shropshire 44 
			 Slough 35 
			 Solihull 47 
			 Somerset 40 
			 South Gloucestershire 33 
			 South Tyneside 38 
			 Southampton 23 
			 Southend-on-Sea 44 
			 Southwark 29 
			 St. Helens 36 
			 Staffordshire 41 
			 Stockport 35 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 45 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 36 
			 Suffolk 38 
			 Sunderland 36 
			 Surrey 35 
			 Sutton 39 
			 Tameside 38 
			 Telford and Wrekin 38 
			 Thurrock 30 
			 Torbay 42 
			 Tower Hamlets 38 
			 Trafford 33 
			 Wakefield 40 
			 Walsall 32 
			 Waltham Forest 36 
			 Wandsworth 37 
			 Warrington 36 
			 Warwickshire 39 
			 West Berkshire 39 
			 West Sussex 34 
			 Westminster 32 
			 Wigan 44 
			 Wiltshire 44 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 42 
			 Wirral 35 
			 Wokingham 32 
			 Wolverhampton 37 
			 Worcestershire 41 
			 York 38

School Sport

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor on his pledges  (a) to have a sports day in every school,  (b) to offer after-school sport and links with a range of local sports clubs in every school and  (c) to ensure access to playing fields for every school; when he expects to implement these pledges; and what his estimate is of the financial resources required to do so;
	(2)  what representations his Department has received on the statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 25 October 2004 that school sport holds the key to a fitter nation.

Jim Knight: holding answers 30 October 2006
	My officials and I have regular discussions with the Treasury to discuss PE and sport. Our overall aim, a joint DfES/DCMS public service agreement target, is to increase the percentage of five to16-year-olds who take part in at least two hours high quality PE and school sport each week to 75 per cent. by 2006 and 85 per cent. by 2008. By 2010, we want to offer all children four hours of sport a week. We are investing over £1.5 billion in the five years to 2008 to transform PE and school sport.
	We have already exceeded the 2006 target. The 2005/06 school sport survey found that 80 per cent. of pupils in the 16,880 schools which took part in the survey were doing at least two hours. This is an increase of 29 per cent. on 2003/04. The survey found that almost all schools (97 per cent.) hold a competitive sports day and the percentage of years 2-11 pupils participating in sports clubs linked to their schools has increased from 22 per cent. in 2003/04 to 27 per cent. this year. Copies of the results of the survey have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	We currently have in place the strongest ever protection of school playing fields and, for the second year running, the number of new playing fields created has been greater than the number sold off.

Schools (Liverpool)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total number of school closures has been in each Liverpool constituency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The numbers of maintained schools closed in Liverpool, by parliamentary constituency, in the last five years are as follows:
	
		
			  Year closed  Annual total 
			  Liverpool Garston  
			 2001 6 
			 2002 3 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 1 
			 Grand total 11 
			   
			  Liverpool Riverside  
			 2003 4 
			 2004 5 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 1 
			 Grand total 12 
			   
			  Liverpool Walton  
			 2001 2 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 3 
			 2004 3 
			 2006 3 
			 Grand Total 15 
			   
			  Liverpool Wavertree  
			 2002 1 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 1 
			 Grand total 3 
			   
			  Liverpool West Derby  
			 2001 4 
			 2002 7 
			 2003 3 
			 2004 3 
			 Grand total 17 
			  Notes:  1. The figures include schools that closed as a result of the amalgamation or merger of two or more schools; schools that have closed but re-opened as voluntary schools with a religious character; and schools that have closed in local education authorities that have moved from a three-tier to a two-tier system.  2. The figures are for maintained schools inclusive of special schools, but exclusive of local authority nursery schools. However, for information, there was only one such closure in 2003 in Liverpool Wavertree.   Source:  DfES

Schools (Liverpool)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the excess capacity has been in schools in each Liverpool constituency in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The table shows the latest available information on excess capacity in (a) secondary, and (b) primary schools in each of the following constituencies. Data were not collected in 2002.
	
		
			  Constituency  2001  2003  2004  2005 
			  Secondary surplus 
			 Liverpool Garston 594 532 550 614 
			 Liverpool Riverside 693 320 381 523 
			 Liverpool Walton 823 627 803 898 
			 Liverpool Wavertree 250 137 227 205 
			 Liverpool W. Derby 625 593 878 921 
			  
			  Primary surplus 
			 Liverpool Garston 770 1,318 1,131 847 
			 Liverpool Riverside 1,511 1,256 962 925 
			 Liverpool Walton 904 1,154 734 891 
			 Liverpool Wavertree 892 719 745 855 
			 Liverpool W. Derby 919 1481 1,139 1,202

Science Teachers

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2006,  Official Report, column 1574W, on science teachers, what the recruitment targets for science teachers are for each year between 2007 and 2014.

Jim Knight: holding answer 2 November 2006
	The indicative target for recruitment to initial teacher training for science for 2007/08 is 3,225 places. The targets for 2008/09 onwards are yet to be determined.

Secular Schools

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether his Department has estimated the  (a) demand for and  (b) availability of (i) atheist and (ii) secular education.

Jim Knight: No. It is for local authorities to plan and secure the provision of schools in their area which are sufficient in number, character and equipment to provide for all pupils the opportunity of appropriate education. The Education and Inspections Bill adds further focus to these duties, requiring local authorities to secure diversity and increase parental choice when planning the provision of school places.
	Around two-thirds of maintained schools in England do not have a religious character. All schools, regardless of whether they have a religious character, are required to contribute to the moral and spiritual development of their pupils, to teach religious education and to hold a daily act of religious worship.

SEN

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the policy of personalisation of special educational needs policy will be implemented in the case of children with severe verbal dyspraxia.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice provides advice to local authorities (LAs) schools and others on carrying out their statutory duties to identify, assess and make provision for pupils with SEN, including children with verbal dyspraxia. Some children with dyspraxia may have statements of special educational needs. The statement will set out the child's needs and specify the individualised provision to meet those needs. The LA which maintains the statement has a duty to arrange the specified provision.
	Children who have dyspraxia, who do not have statements may have their needs supported in school at School Action or at School Action Plus:
	a child supported at School Action will be provided with interventions that are additional to or different from those provided as part of the school's usual differentiated curriculum offer; and
	a child supported at School Action Plus will be provided with help from external services. Help may be in the form of advice to teachers on target setting and accompanying support strategies; or more specialist assessments to inform planning and measurement of progress; or support for particular activities.
	In addition to the support provided to children under the SEN statutory framework, each school will decide how best to implement the policy of personalisation, using the additional funding—£990 million for 2006-08—allocated for this purpose, and taking account of local priorities. The focus on personalised learning should help improve outcomes for all pupils, especially in core curriculum subjects.

SEN

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will provide funding for local authorities to increase the number of collaborative arrangements in which communities of schools work together to provide services for children with special educational needs;
	(2)  what steps he has taken in response to evidence from Ofsted that funding delegated to schools for meeting the special educational needs of children has been used for other priorities in schools;
	(3)  if he will take steps to ring-fence funding delegated to schools to meet the special educational needs of children;
	(4)  if he will take steps to provide for a major increase in the funding of special educational needs in each of the next five years.

Parmjit Dhanda: All pupils, including those with SEN, are benefiting from the significant increases in investment in education funding under this Government. Total revenue funding per pupil has increased nationally by £1,440 in real terms between 1997-98 and 2006-07. By 2007-08 the increase over 1997-98 will have reached over £1,630 per pupil in real terms. More resources are going into schools to support children with SEN. LA indicative figures show spending rising from £3.5 billion in 2003-04 to over £4.5 billion in 2006-07.
	The school funding settlement for 2006-08 provides a national average increase in the dedicated schools grant of 6.8 per cent. per pupil this year (compared with authorities' spending in 2005-06) and a further increase of 6.7 per cent. per pupil for 2007-08. The settlement gives schools everywhere the secure and predictable base they need to deliver a wider and more personalised offer to all their pupils. Decisions on funding for subsequent years will be dependent upon the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR07).
	DSG is a ring-fenced grant. It is paid to local authorities, who must use it for the purposes of their schools budget. It is for each local authority to distribute funding to its schools using its locally agreed formula, and it is for schools' governing bodies to decide how to spend their available resources. We believe that schools are best placed to make decisions about support arrangements for pupils experiencing barriers to their learning. They can intervene early and make effective arrangements promptly and flexibly, within the whole school context.
	The Education Act 1996 states that schools must use their best endeavours to make suitable provision for all pupils with SEN. For children with statements, LAs, in partnership with schools, must ensure that the provision specified in the statement can be delivered. The annual review ensures that the continued effectiveness of the statement is monitored and evaluated at least annually.
	The SEN code of practice provides detailed guidance to schools and LAs on their respective responsibilities. In addition, the Special Educational Needs (Provision of Information by LEAs) (England) Regulations 2001 require LAs to set out what they expect schools to provide from their budgets for children with SEN but without statements and what LAs expect to provide themselves.
	The Department's 2004 guidance "The Management of SEN Expenditure" recommended the accountability arrangements that should be in place in order to secure positive outcomes for children with special educational needs. The guidance proposed a framework covering: school information and performance data; school self-evaluation; evaluation meetings and accountability to parents.
	All schools are required to complete a self-evaluation form (SEF), drawing on improved data and supported by inspection, to identify areas where there is a need to improve performance. School improvement partners (SIPs) will challenge and support schools. The focus on a continuing cycle of school improvement should ensure that the progress of all children is kept under review and that they receive appropriate support.
	Collaboration is proving to be a very effective way of addressing school improvement, teaching and learning, and other organisational issues. SEN is certainly one area that can benefit from a partnership approach of both schools and possibly other organisations. However, we believe that schools must have the freedom to make spending decisions and to decide whether they take part in partnership activity, based on their specific local needs. For this reason, from April 2006 the majority of funding to support collaborative work now goes directly to schools as part of their school development grant. The way schools decide to use this funding is therefore a matter for local decision.

Sex Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on sex education; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Department has not commissioned any research on sex and relationship education (SRE) but we have reflected the available evidence base in guidance given to schools.
	Ofsted is responsible for assessing the quality of schools' provision in the area of personal, social and health education including SRE through its inspection framework and subject reports.
	All schools are expected to meet the statutory requirements for sex education and have an up-to-date policy on SRE. This policy should set out the process by which a school will assess how well its provision is meeting the needs of pupils.

Supply Teachers

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance his Department issues to schools on the required qualifications for supply teachers in secondary schools; and whether this guidance has changed in the last 12 months.

Jim Knight: Guidance on checks on supply teachers was placed on Teachernet in September 2004, headed Checks on Supply Teachers Updated Guidance (09/04) (at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/supplyteachers/schoolsdetail.cfm?&id=16). It points out that the same checks and qualifications are required for all teachers, whether supply or not. It will be replaced as part of revised guidance which was issued for consultation in the summer. The consultation closed on 12 October, and the revised guidance is planned for issue shortly. In addition Guidance on Induction is provided to schools which includes guidance on how teachers doing supply work can complete induction. (This is on teachernet at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=4866). This has not changed in the last 12 months.